Sunday, October 16, 2022
Isaac Herzog: Israel's president to 'Post': Reclaiming Zionism is our mission
It is through Zionism, moreover, that the Jewish people can revitalize aspects of Jewish tradition in our ancestral homeland, endowing them with new meaning and allowing Jews to live in a Jewish space, in Jewish time, in Hebrew. Zionism is an indispensable mix of old and new, and it is through Zionism’s link between land, people and state that we can connect to our deepest roots and tap into ancient reservoirs of meaning, fulfilling a millennia-old dream.Natan Sharansky: How to stay Jewish thanks to Zionism
Zionism, to borrow a famous phrase, does not mean the “end of history” for the Jewish people. Zionism has not solved the great dilemmas of Jewish history. It has not stopped the historical pendulum swinging between the demand for normality and the pursuit of individuality, the demand to blend into the family of nations and the pursuit of a unique Jewish destiny.
Instead, Zionism created a platform for Jews to explore their identity as an independent political community. It created a “safe space,” if you will, where the Jewish people could continue arguing and debating about their big questions, safe from the fears that had always haunted them: fears of antisemitic persecution on the one hand, and fears of the erasure of their distinctive culture on the other.
No less importantly: Zionism is not just the mission of Jews living in our ancestral homeland. It is a collective endeavor for Diaspora Jews, too. It is a project that unites us, a shared commitment to making our world a better place. For Diaspora Jews, Israel is a home away from home, a place where they can contribute to and draw from vibrant culture, and where their outside perspectives can enrich our sense of global yet grounded peoplehood.
Only together can we address our shared challenges. Only together can we work for the sake of the future, in the name of the past. We must reclaim Zionism, therefore, as a positive affirmation of our collective resolve; as a source of pride in what we can achieve when we work together, in body and spirit.
This holiday, as we read this Magazine in our sukkot, let us remember that the Wandering Jew now has a permanent home, and let us reclaim our sense of purpose about the good that we can do with this home.
I wish you all a happy Sukkot, and happy reading.
Judaism without Zionism – not sustainableDavid Friedman: Is Zionism distinct from Judaism?
There is a movement today by some liberal Jews to try to build Jewish identity that is totally disconnected from Israel.
Embarrassed by continual criticism of Israel as the “colonialist,” “white supremacy project,” they prefer to distance themselves from it. We have reached American Jewish tradition, they would say, we don’t need nationalist Israel to define our identity. After all, they say, in thousands of years of Jewish history, Israel as a state was not a part of Jewish identity most of the time. Of course, it’s ridiculous to try to ignore the differences in Jewish identity before and after the creation of the State of Israel.
Their efforts remind me of the activity of the so-called Yevsektsiya – Jewish department of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. They wanted Jews to join the “progressive” cause of communism, and remain Jewish. That’s why they were against religion and led the process of closing synagogues.
They were against Hebrew and prohibited Zionist literature. At the same time, they encouraged Yiddish and were responsible for opening chairs for the study of Yiddish in universities and the creation of various cultural institutions in Yiddish. But soon it became clear that assimilation was accelerating, and there were fewer and fewer people interested in these institutions.
When the central components of Jewish identity were taken away, few were really interested in remaining Jewish.
For much of our history, the return of the Jewish people to its biblical homeland must have seemed to our ancestors as a cruel and unattainable illusion. But even then, Jewish liturgical prayer was replete with verses beseeching the Almighty for a return to Zion and Jerusalem. Judaism and Zionism always have been inextricably intertwined throughout the ages.Michael Oren: Zionism is integral to Jewish identity - we must embrace it
The beginnings of the State of Israel presented a more nuanced, even confusing, interplay between Zionism and the Jewish faith. The challenges of building a Jewish nation were so daunting that complete subordination of the needs of the individual to those of the state was required. The outgrowth of that collective commitment led to a socialist enterprise that did little to prioritize religious observance. But even under those difficult circumstances, the Bible was studied. Even an atheist knew he was fighting for the “Promised Land.” Whether or not he observed the commandments, Israel’s founding prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, never had a Bible far from reach.
Today, much of the Zionist dream has been realized. Israel is a first-world nation, more than just surviving in a difficult neighborhood. The Jewish holy sites that it controls are accessible to all, Jewish or gentile, who come to worship in peace. Now more than ever, Zionism has merged into Judaism itself. If one is a Jew who believes in God’s biblical covenants to our forefathers and foremothers, Zionism is an integral part of the package of one’s faith.
Israel is the only nation where Judaism can be fully actualized. It is the only place where Jews can pray using the same liturgy in the same location and in the same language that was used 2,000 years ago. While there may have been dark days in our past where Jews gave up on the Zionist dream, thankfully they are long gone.
To be a Jew is to be a Zionist – the two have always been inseparable, now more than ever.
RATHER THAN shaking my commitment to “Zionism,” the confab reinforced it. The meaning of the word had changed over the years, from a simple belief in the right of the Jewish people to self-determination in our ancient homeland to something much richer and more nuanced. Zionism was about Jewish strength and Jewish compassion, our ability to defend ourselves while selflessly assisting others.
Zionism was about balancing modernity with tradition, East and West, and diversity with national identity. Zionism was the testing ground for Jewish values, a barometer without which the integrity of those values cannot truly be gauged.
Zionism by any other name would still mean all of this, I argued at the confab, and Zionism by any other name would still be condemned by those who hate Israel. Rather than substituting another word for it, we should rally around Zionism and exalt it.
As patriots during the American Revolution transformed “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” a song devised by the British to mock them, into an anthem, so, too, must we embrace Zionism in the face of its detractors. While we must recognize the fact that Zionism has given rise to complex moral dilemmas, we must also relish the privilege of grappling with those dilemmas within the context of an independent Jewish state. “Zionist,” our motto should be, “and proud of it.”
I recalled that confab eight years later, last summer after another violent exchange with Gaza. Together with my grandchildren, I visited a water park in Holon. Thousands of children of different races, religions, and ethnic backgrounds splashed together in the fountains. This, too, is Zionism, I thought, the movement that created this haven only a day’s drive from Damascus, Baghdad and Beirut. This is Zionism, an idea well worth preserving and fighting for.
Ben-Dror Yemini: From Hitler to Putin: Palestinian habit of always backing 'wrong side'
When it comes to major international conflicts throughout history, the Palestinian leadership has often, if not always, chosen to support "the wrong side." From Adolf Hitler to Saddam Hussein, and now Russian President Vladimir Putin, with whom Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has opted to side.JPost Editorial: South Africa should restore full ties with Israel - editorial
During World War II, the Palestinians faced the decision to either support the Axis alliance or the great Allied powers. They chose the German Nazi Reich. Their then-leader Mufti Hajj Amim al-Husseini spent the duration of the war in Berlin, and allegedly advised Hitler to destroy all Jews in the Arab world. Local Arab communities were ecstatic when Nazi general Erwin Rommel invaded Egypt, and headed for Palestine.
Al-Husseini also rejected the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine, leading to Nakba, also known as the Palestinian Catastrophe. In the 1960s, then PLO-leader Ahmad Shukeiri, conspired with Jordan, Syria and Egypt to drive away the Jews, leading to their defeat in the 1967 Six-Day War.
An Arab businessman I met in Dubai told me that his father never stopped donating money to the Palestinian cause, believing their struggle was part of a common cultural identity. The donations stopped when then-Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat chose to support Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990. As far as the Arab world was concerned, the Palestinians bit the hand that fed them.
Despite the historic relationship between the African National Congress and the PLO, as well as the South African government’s identification with the Palestinian people, its decision not to dispatch an envoy to Israel for the past five years does not help anyone. If South Africa is to play a positive role in this region, it must engage with both parties.EXCLUSIVE: Hitler-Loving Palestinian Journalist Handed Prestigious Award, Invited on Reuters Panel With CNN’s Christiane Amanpour
Perhaps the South African government headed by President Cyril Ramaphosa should be reminded of the stance taken by Nelson Mandela, the leader credited with ending apartheid. Although Mandela opposed what he viewed as Israel’s “occupation” of Palestinian territories, he supported the Jewish state’s right to exist in secure borders, declaring during his visit to Jerusalem in 1999: “I cannot conceive of Israel withdrawing [from territory] if Arab states do not recognize Israel, within secure borders.”
Ramaphosa, who served as secretary-general to Mandela during the latter’s historic post-apartheid presidency, has been in office since 2018 and is considered a good friend of the country’s small Jewish community, whose numbers have dropped to under 50,000.
In January, he smiled broadly as he accepted the credentials of Israel’s new ambassador, Eliav Belotserkovsky, and shook his hand warmly. “We believe there’s tremendous potential in us working together,” the ambassador told him. “Together, we can share dreams and together we can fulfill them.... There’s so much we can do together in the future in science and technology, education and training, food security and climate change.”
Rowan Polovin, national chairman of the South African Zionist Federation, pointed out at the time that Israel has much to offer South Africa in terms of cutting-edge technology and innovation related to its current challenges regarding water, electricity and renewable energy.
He argued that South Africa is in a unique position to facilitate positive improvements for Palestinians as well as bring them back to the peace table. “South Africa ought to place itself in the center of peaceful and productive Israeli-Palestinian relations, and not at the periphery where it is unable to be an effective mediator,” he said.
We support Polovin’s appeal and call on President Ramaphosa to appoint a new ambassador to Israel – the sooner the better for all parties.
Shatha Hammad has repeatedly joked about Adolf Hitler, lavished praise on Palestinian terrorists who have murdered innocent Jews, and denied that Israel has any right to exist.
Despite this profoundly disturbing social media history, Hammad was recently handed a prestigious journalism award and cash prize by the Kurt Schork Memorial Fund (KSMF), which is supported by the charitable arm of global wire service Reuters.
Announcing Ramallah-based Hammad as the winner of its 2022 Local Reporter Award on October 13, the KSMF lavished praise on her work reporting from the West Bank. “Taking great personal risks, which once resulted in her being hit in the face with a teargas canister, Hammad’s stories expose the impact of the conflict on Palestinian civilians,” the press release gushed.
In addition to receiving $5,000, Hammad’s work will also be “spotlighted through a multi-media campaign on the Thomson Reuters Foundation’s social media channels” and she will have the coveted opportunity to take part in a discussion hosted by CNN pundit Christiane Amanpour at the Thomson Reuters Foundation’s annual Trust Conference in London later this month.
HonestReporting has now uncovered dozens of violent and antisemitic posts on Hammad’s Facebook page, including one in which she eulogized the “martyrs” who killed five “settlers” during the 2014 Jerusalem synagogue massacre in which two Palestinian terrorists attacked worshipers with axes, knives and a gun.
In several posts in 2014, Hammad, who currently works for Middle East Eye and Al Jazeera, signed off her comments using the nickname “Hitler” and joked that she was “in agreement” with the Nazi leader who oversaw the mass extermination of six million Jews during the Holocaust.
Hitler admirer @shathahammad4 receives $5000, will be spotlighted by a Reuters campaign, and participate in a panel moderated by @amanpour at the @TRF flagship event co-sponsored by @WhiteCase @BCG @FondationBotnar @PostcodeLottery & @RFKHumanRights.https://t.co/66oZksr59l pic.twitter.com/nL0OY0zrwe
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) October 16, 2022
Poland summons Israeli envoy over ‘misleading’ remarks on youth Holocaust trips
Poland’s Foreign Ministry was set to summon Israel’s ambassador to the country for clarification over remarks he made regarding Holocaust heritage trips for Israeli schoolchildren, which have stopped amid a diplomatic dispute between the countries.Trump warns US Jews to ‘get their act together,’ says he’d ‘easily’ be PM in Israel
Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Pawel Jablonski on Friday accused the Israeli ambassador, Yacov Livne, of “misleading the public as to the reasons why the trips are not taking place” and refusing to communicate directly with the ministry.
Livne on Thursday said at an event marking the 79th anniversary of the uprising at the Sobibor death camp in Poland that it was “impossible” for Israeli youth to visit the memorial site “due to decisions made by the Polish Foreign Ministry.”
He added that Israel does not understand Poland’s position on the issue, and that the matter must be resolved.
The annual educational trips, attended by thousands of young Israelis, were suspended during the pandemic; in June, Israel said they would not resume because Poland’s right-wing government was trying to control the curriculum.
Poland has previously charged that young Israelis were receiving a “negative image” of Poland, because of the armed guards accompanying the youth groups, the visits’ focus on the Holocaust alone, and a lack of contact with Polish youth.
Former US president Donald Trump railed against US Jews on Sunday, telling them to “get their act together” and accusing them of not being appreciative enough of his support for Israel, while claiming he was so popular among Israelis that he could “easily be” elected prime minister.Netanyahu: Obama had ‘not just bad policy, but malice’ towards Israel
In a statement posted to his social media platform Truth Social, Trump argued that “No President has done more for Israel,” and wondered why “our wonderful Evangelicals are far more appreciative of this than the people of the Jewish faith, especially those living in the US.”
The former president — who moved the US embassy to Jerusalem, recognized Israeli sovereignty in the Golan Heights and brokered the Abraham Accords between Israel and regional states — said that in Israel it was “a different story” and that there he enjoyed “the highest approval rate in the world,” going as far as saying he “could easily be PM.”
Trump urged Jews in the US to “get their act together and appreciate what they have in Israel – Before it is too late!” He did not elaborate.
Trump has frequently castigated US Jews for their perceived lack of gratitude and support and often conflated Israeli interests with those of America.
A poll conducted by the Israel Democracy Institute in November 2020 found that 70 percent of Jewish Israelis considered a victory for Trump over Joe Biden in the US presidential election to be preferable for Israeli interests.
The Obama administration tried to “force confrontations” with Israel, former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu accuses in his new book Bibi: My Story.Netanyahu reveals new details on Mossad's operations in Iran
In their first meeting in the White House in 2009, US President Obama Obama threatened Netanyahu, the latter wrote.
As the meeting was about to end, Obama said: “You know, people often read me wrong, but I come from Chicago. I know how to deal with tough rivals.”
Then Netanyahu said that Obama did something else “that deeply shocked me because it was so opposed to his restrained character. The message was clear and it was meant to strike fear in me.”
Netanyahu does not say what Obama said or did to threaten him, but in a recently-published biography of the prime minister called Cracking the Netanyahu Code, journalist Mazal Mualem said that Obama gestured as though he was slitting someone’s throat while saying he knows how to deal with Netanyahu.
“Mr. President,” Netanyahu responded, “I am sure you meant what you said. But I am the prime minister of Israel and I will do all that I can to defend my country.”
The first time Netanyahu met Obama was in 2007 when the former was opposition leader and the latter was a freshman senator. Netanyahu thought that even though they had very different points of view – Obama “championed the social-democratic idea; I was an economic conservative and security hawk”- that they could work well together.
Although significant aspects of Mossad’s 2018 operations to seize Iran’s secret nuclear files were already previously revealed, there are some fascinating new reveals in former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new book.Ruthie Blum: Ehud Barak’s outlandish accusations
We learn that then-Mossad director Yossi Cohen, on behalf of the Mossad, first presented the idea of seizing Iran’s secret nuclear files and bringing them to Israel to Netanyahu in a power-point presentation at some unspecified point in 2017.
Further, we learn about some of the back and forth between Netanyahu and Cohen at that secret meeting - which took place when essentially no one knew what Jerusalem had in mind for Tehran.
Did Iran have a copy of the nuclear files?
According to the book, the first question Netanyahu asked Cohen was “do they have a copy?”
“I don’t know,” he answered. “But they are so sure that no one knows about the existence of the archives, that it is very possible that they did not maintain a copy of it.”
“You don’t think they would keep copies of all of the information backed up on computer files?” Netanyahu asked as a follow-up question.
Cohen responded, “Not if they believed that we could get at such computer files [using hacking capabilities]. Maybe they thought that hiding [only] the original paper files is the best defense.”
Netanyahu then makes it clear that one of the key goals of the operation was to remove nuclear scientific data from the Islamic Republic that it might not be able to replace.
Ultimately, we know that the Iranians have managed to reconstitute aspects of their nuclear program sabotaged by the Mossad during that and other operations.
But the revelations of the back and forth between Netanyahu and Cohen show that the operation was designed not only to prove to the world beyond any possible doubt that Iran’s nuclear program was military in nature, but also based on the belief that the program itself could be delayed by stealing information which was irreplaceable.
In an interview on Saturday night with Channel 12’s new version of its “Meet the Press” program—this one with hosts Amit Segal on the right and Ben Caspit on the left—former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak did the “anybody but Bibi” contingent proud. That he disgraced himself in the process didn’t seem to bother the has-been whose disastrous policies led to his humiliating defeat after less than two years (1999-2001) at the helm.Israeli defense establishment divided on Lebanon maritime border deal
But then, Barak, whose well-deserved ouster was due to the 2000 Camp David Summit fiasco, has never suffered from a surplus of modesty or remorse. On the contrary, he continues to claim that he practically handed PLO chief Yasser Arafat Palestinian statehood on a silver platter in order to call the arch-terrorist’s bluff.
When Arafat not only rejected his generous offer, but used it as an excuse to launch the suicide-bombing war on innocent Israelis that lasted more than four years, Barak was among those who blamed his successor, Ariel Sharon, for it. Though the Palestinians had spent months plotting the “Al-Aqsa Intifada” and timing it to erupt across Israel on the eve of the Jewish high holidays, a visit by then-opposition leader Sharon to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem on Sept. 28, 2000 was deemed to have been the casus belli.
Rewriting history isn’t Barak’s only specialty, however. Projection is another, as was on full display during his appearance with Segal and Caspit.
Invoking an oft-misquoted line (falsely attributed to Edmund Burke) in John Stuart Mill’s 1867 inaugural address at the University of St. Andrews, Barak praised himself for warning against the perils that Israel faces if opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party garners enough seats in the Nov. 1 Knesset election to enable him to head the next government.
“Bad things happen when good people are silent,” he said smugly, while repeatedly referring to Netanyahu’s base and future coalition partners as a “cult of money, power and honor.”
This is pretty funny coming from an egotistical multi-millionaire with a taste for fancy watches and high-priced cigars, who lives in the lap of luxury in Tel Aviv, one of the world’s most expensive cities. The epithet is even more amusing when used to describe at least half of the country. As Barak clearly fails to grasp from his elitist perch, these are mostly average citizens with little “power and honor,” but lots of day-to-day financial and other struggles.
Support for the final draft of the Israel-Lebanon maritime border agreement was not uniform among Israel’s defense establishment, with critics arguing it will not provide long-term security, according to Israeli media reports.Balad praises slain Palestinian doctor claimed as terror group member
Opponents of the agreement contended that the proposed maritime boundary, stretching 5 kilometers (3 miles) off the Israeli coastline toward the disputed economic waters, would improve Hezbollah’s strategic position and expose Israel’s Karish natural gas field to significant security threats, Globes reported last week.
The defense officials also reportedly rejected as baseless the argument that a future Lebanese offshore platform would reduce Beirut’s dependence on Iran or weaken Hebollah, given their tight control over Lebanon and anticipated involvement in the development of energy sources in the country’s exclusive economic zone.
In this respect, Israeli opposition to the prospective deal reportedly increased after Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah threatened to attack Karish, with numerous senior members of the Military Intelligence’s Research Division and Mossad researchers claiming that any quiet achieved would be temporary.
Meanwhile, a poll conducted by Channel 12 and published on Friday found that 47 percent of the Israeli public supports the deal, whereas 36 percent oppose it. Seventeen percent said they were unsure.
The Arab nationalist party Balad posted a statement on its official Facebook page that appeared to praise a Palestinian doctor who was killed in an armed clash with Israeli forces in the West Bank.How Did the Media Cover the Terrorist Doctor of Jenin?
In a post written in Arabic on Friday, the same day as the clash, the party included a part of a poem in Abdullah Abu Tin’s memory that read: “May Allah protect you, for no prophet like you has been seen or heard,” and concluded the post with: “May God have mercy on you.”
The post also included a picture of Abu Tin.
According to an Israeli security source, Abu Tin was armed and directly involved in the battle that developed between Israeli forces and Palestinian gunmen in the Jenin refugee camp.
In a poster announcing his death, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades terror group claimed Abu Tin as a member and said he died “in an armed clash” with Israeli forces “defending the homeland.” The poster showed him posing with five assault rifles.
A Telegram account thought to be tied to the group also published a brief statement saying Abu Tin “was martyred while fighting shoulder to shoulder with the resistance fighters.”
So, how did the international media report on the complex nature of this incident?Arabs Hurl Rock on to Jewish Boy’s Head
Overall, the media did pretty well in providing a complete portrayal of the circumstances surrounding the doctor’s death for their readers.
For instance, in its report, the Associated Press wrote “The Palestinian Health Ministry said Dr. Abdullah al-Ahmed was on duty, attending to the wounded outside his hospital when he was shot. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, an armed offshoot of the secular Fatah party, claimed he was a member.”
Similarly, Reuters wrote that “Atta Abu Rumeileh, a leader for the Fatah group in Jenin, told Reuters that the other man killed was a doctor and Fatah member who participated in the fighting” while the New York Times reported on the doctor’s death by saying that “One of the dead was a medical doctor whom a Palestinian militia later claimed as its leader, posting pictures of him carrying three assault rifles.”
For its part, France 24 did report that the doctor was claimed by “the armed wing of the mainstream Fatah movement” although it only included this information six paragraphs after initially writing that “Two Palestinians including a doctor were killed Friday in an Israeli raid.” Additionally, France 24’s headline reads “Palestinian doctor among two killed in Israeli army West Bank raid.”
By failing to mention the fact that the doctor was a member of a terrorist organization in either its headline or opening paragraph, France 24 effectively “buried the lede.”
Related Reading: Al Jazeera Puts Terror Teen Front and Center in Mangled Report of IDF Raid to Capture Palestinian Islamic Jihad Commander
An egregious example of a news organization not properly covering the story of the terrorist doctor is CNN, which reported on the Palestinian Health Ministry’s announcement regarding the doctor’s death but didn’t mention the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade claiming him as a member of the terrorist organization.
Therefore, anyone who uses CNN as their primary news source will be left with the false impression that the doctor was an innocent bystander who was killed by Israeli forces and not the fighting member of a terrorist organization that he is purported to be.
A 17-year-old Jewish boy, Itamar Alkobi, is still unconscious after Arabs threw a rock at his head, in the Shimon Hatzadik neighborhood.
The attack happened on Wednesday evening, when a group of boys visited the Sukkah of Tal Yushobiev. A group of Arabs surrounded the house, and when the Jewish boys looked outside, Alkobi was hit by a rock in the head.
Alkobi’s skull was broken. He has undergone surgery, and is in a coma and on a respirator. On Saturday, he began to interact with his environment.
“Palestinians throwing rocks do no harm” ???????????? https://t.co/H4pVQLjL9U
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) October 16, 2022
Suspect arrested in Beit El sukkah shooting
Israeli security forces on Saturday arrested the second of two suspects behind a shooting in Beit El in Samaria on Friday, together with two other individuals believed to have assisted the attackers. The suspect was identified as Muhammad Oden.WATCH: Step into boots of Israeli soldier in arrest of Beit El terrorist
The other main suspect, Hamas operative Kays Shajaia, was shot and killed by Israeli forces on Friday. Shajaia was a resident of Dayr Jarir, where the other three suspects were arrested. According to the Israeli military, Shajaia had previously spend time in Israeli prison for “terror involvement.”
On Friday, Beit El resident Yonatan Nizri was sitting in his sukkah together with his family when his chair was hit by a bullet, lightly wounding him with shrapnel. He described to Channel 12 News how he at first did not realize what had happened.
“I was sitting at a holiday table with my wife and child. We were singing, and in one moment the atmosphere went black,” he said. Nizri recalled hearing gunshots shortly before being hit, but thinking nothing of it because gunfire and fireworks are regularly heard from Arab villages in the area. Then, however, he felt a “punch to the jaw,” and his vision blurred.
Dashing down a road, carrying a ballistic breaching shield, to catch a terrorist — The public was able to step into the boots of the Israel Border Police's special Yamas counter-terrorism on Sunday morning, with helmet footage of the arrest of a terrorist that shot at Israelis at the West Bank settlement of Beit El on Friday.Israel revokes entry permits from over 150 relatives of Nablus ‘terror elements’
From the perspective of the counter-terrorism operative, it can be seen how forces on Saturday rounded a corner and the suspect, Muhammad Odeh, 19, threw up his hands and surrendered to the forces.
Weapons, uniforms and propaganda materials were found in Odeh's house in the village of Deir-Jarir. Two other people were arrested for suspected material support of the attack.
Odeh had fled the scene of the Beit El shooting, in which a 25-year-old Israeli was lightly injured. Another terrorist was killed at the scene of the shooting by soldiers from the IDF's 890 Paratrooper Battalion.
The Border Police said that the operation, which was conducted in conjunction with the IDF and Shin Bet, and been launched as soon as Shin Bet had alerted them to the suspect's location.
The military’s liaison to the Palestinians on Sunday said it had revoked the entry permits to Israel from 164 family members of Palestinian “terror elements” in the West Bank city of Nablus.Two Bedouin men arrested for alleged Hamas ties, funneling funds to terror group
In a statement, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) — the Defense Ministry body responsible for Palestinian civil affairs — said the decision was made following an assessment held by Defense Minister Benny Gantz.
In the past year, more than 2,500 work permits belonging to family members of Palestinian terrorists have been revoked, COGAT added.
“The terrorists who are hiding in the heart of the civilian population in Nablus should know that their identity is well known to the security system and that the path of terror they choose will also affect their families, who will not be able to continue earning a living in Israel,” said Maj. Gen. Ghassan Alian, head of COGAT.
Alian was referring to members of a group calling itself “Lion’s Den,” which has claimed responsibility for numerous recent shooting attacks against Israeli forces and civilians in the northern West Bank.
Two Bedouin men from southern Israel were arrested last month for alleged ties to the Hamas terror group in the Gaza Strip, the Shin Bet security agency revealed Sunday.Following violent weekend, Israel imposes planned West Bank closure over holiday
According to the Shin Bet, Sa’ad Abu Rakaik, 20, from the city of Tel Sheva, and Sameh al-Nabari, 21, from a Negev village near Hura, were in direct contact with members of the terror group.
The pair were accused of helping funnel funds to Gaza for Hamas.
The Shin Bet said al-Nabari was also instructed to conduct “additional security tasks” for Hamas, including attempts to transfer weapons to another operative.
Indictments charging the pair with “serious security offenses” were filed on Sunday, according to the agency.
The Israeli military will shut down crossings between the West Bank and Israel for Palestinians during the final day of the Sukkot holiday, as forces were already on high alert following a violent weekend.Arab Bus Drivers Refuse to Carry Border Guard Companies to Quell Jerusalem Riots
The closure, which also includes crossings with the Gaza Strip, was to begin on Sunday at 4:00 p.m. and end on Monday at 11:59 p.m. The border crossings were set to reopen “subject to a situational assessment and in accordance with the usual operating hours,” the Israel Defense Forces said.
Exceptions will be made for humanitarian and other outstanding cases, but will require the approval of the liaison, known as the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories.
Such closures are standard practice during Jewish festivals and holidays. The military says they are a preventative measure against attacks during periods of increased tension.
Also Sunday, Prime Minister Yair Lapid held two security consultations in Tel Aviv amid the spiraling violence.
Several Arab shuttle bus drivers canceled their shifts at the last minute this weekend, on the day four reserve Border Guard companies were called in to carry out operations in the Jerusalem sector, Channel 14 News reporter Hallel Bitton Rosen tweeted Sunday afternoon.
Bitton Rosen stressed that thanks to the determination of the Border guard commanders, the transport was carried out despite the disruptions. Advertisement
Last week, Arab bus drivers declared a strike as a nationalist act, similar to their refusal to shuttle Jewish teenagers to the flags parade on Jerusalem Day. It posed a serious problem to parade organizers, since the vast majority of Israeli bus drivers are Arab, constituting between 60% and 90% of the drivers, depending on the company.
But this time around, Arab bus drivers did not merely sabotage a patriotic parade – they attempted to block the transfer of security forces to where they were most urgently needed. During several clashes with Hamas in recent years, Arab truck drivers refused to haul IDF tanks to the front, causing dangerous delays. And according to reports, during Operation Guardian of the Walls, only 40 out of 500 Israeli Arab drivers on contract showed up to carry out IDF assignments. The army responded by shuffling truck and bus drivers from various units, but delays were caused and, according to experts, had Israel faced a second front on the Lebanese border, those delays could mean a rise in casualties.
Not a good look for this UN organization; the same rules that apply to others should apply to them, this wasn’t official business; civilians should have a right to use a crosswalk without being put in danger by this flagrant violation; and it’s not the first time https://t.co/jVeIOR1jPU
— Seth Frantzman (@sfrantzman) October 16, 2022
Gaza-based Mujahideen Brigades claims it burned an IDF post at the entrence of Beit Ummar, north of Hebron. pic.twitter.com/XbQFVM3AWW
— Joe Truzman (@JoeTruzman) October 16, 2022
Palestinian Islamic Jihad Official Samir Zaqout: Arafat Helped Fund the Resistance “Under the Table”; The Israelis Have Brought Depravity and Homosexuality to the Blessed Holy Land #Palestinians #Islamic_Jihad #Terrorism pic.twitter.com/UnJwUveobb
— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) October 16, 2022
Hezbollah, Iraqi Hashd al-Shaabi helping Iran quash protests
Lebanese Hezbollah and Iraq’s Has’d al-Shaabi have been seen helping Iran’s Basiji forces crackdown on protesters across the country.
According to sources, plain-clothes men with Lebanese-accented Arabic were seen trying to suppress riots in various cities in Iran, including in the capital of Tehran. They are in addition to the hundreds of troops belonging to the police, Basiji, and Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps who have been central in trying to quash the protests.
Iran has been engulfed in widespread protests against the regime since mid-September after 22-year-old Mahsa Amini was killed in police custody after she was detained by the country’s morality police for not properly wearing a hijab.
Hezbollah on the Iran protests
In early October, Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah referred to Amini’s death as a “vague incident” and that the protests rocking the country are not reflective of the true will of Iranians.
“The Iranian state is a target and so any incident is exploited… to incite against this state,” he said. “This vague incident was exploited and people took to the streets.”
End the JCPOA. Execute SnapBack in the UN. Impose maximum pressure. https://t.co/0wq4mDijNz
— Mike (@Doranimated) October 15, 2022
.@SecBlinken Why did you invite @sherryhakimi—who said meeting Iran regime mouthpiece Javad Zarif was her “celebrity rock star moment” & who is affiliated with lobby group NIAC which perpetuates disinformation activities to justify the regime’s repression—to a meeting on Iran? https://t.co/bR3xxE7fHk pic.twitter.com/KLU0nneA3i
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) October 15, 2022
4 people killed in massive fire at Iran's notorious Evin prison
Australian academic who survived 804 days in Iran’s notorious Evin prison that is now on fire: https://t.co/wTkHb13uMm
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) October 15, 2022
There's no infighting. Iranians are as united as I've ever seen.
— Kaveh Shahrooz ???? ????? (@kshahrooz) October 16, 2022
On the one side are the people, of all political stripes, asking for an end to the Islamic Republic.
On the other side are the regime and the people that up until a month ago normalized it. pic.twitter.com/C9Pnl1yymS
Here is the video of Trita Parsi of @NIACouncil & their echo chamber urging the Obama admin not to support protesters in Iran.
— Navid Mohebbi ???? ???? (@navidmohebbi) October 15, 2022
They suggested the same policy for every other uprising in Iran since 2009.
That's precisely what the regime wants: to oppress protestors in darkness. pic.twitter.com/jrTCDrEP1Q
Iranian attack drones in Ukraine | pic.twitter.com/lUY5z2eP2T
— Mike (@Doranimated) October 15, 2022
Israel ‘apartheid’ event sponsored by law firm that exonerated Morningstar of anti-Israel bias
While under investigation in 20 states for anti-Israel bias, Chicago-based investment firm Morningstar repeatedly pointed to an independent report purportedly absolving it of such behavior. But White & Case, the law firm that authored the report, was listed this week as a sponsor of a program at the University of Chicago’s Law School that featured a virulently anti-Israel activist and perpetuated the notion that Israel practices apartheid.Kanye West Lashes Out at ‘Jewish Zionists’ on ‘Drink Champs’
A flyer for the program held on Oct. 12, entitled “Apartheid: International Law in the Israel-Palestine Conflict,” revealed White & Case’s involvement. The event was initiated by Omar Shakir, Israel and Palestine Director at Human Rights Watch (HRW), in order to present his organization’s 2021 report declaring Israel an apartheid state. HRW has long been accused, including by the organization’s founder, of placing a disproportionate focus on and harboring institutional animus towards Israel.
According to a source familiar with the event, which was open to members of the university community, attendees were presented with reasons why Israel should be charged by international bodies with the crime of apartheid. Israel’s Law of Return was equated with affirmative action for Jews and a lack of the same privilege for Palestinians was presented as akin to America’s treatment of white immigrants as opposed to black slaves. The program was presented by the school’s International Law Society, Human Rights Law Society and Southwest Asian and North African Law Students Association.
In response to a query from JNS, a White & Case spokesperson initially claimed that “the advertisement is incorrect. White & Case did not sponsor this event in any way.”
After a controversial and troubling couple of weeks, Kanye West returned to Drink Champs for Round Three with hosts N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN. While the 45-minute interview hasn’t been posted to YouTube, it can be viewed on the Revolt TV website.Antisemite Kanye West doubles down on “death con 3” comments in new rant about “the Jewish media” and “Jewish Zionists”
After a brief introduction, West immediately went into a diatribe about “the Jewish people,” arguing that he’s not an anti-Semite because he’s also a Jew “as the blood of Christ.” However, he then went on a rant about how the Jewish people control all facets of media and entertainment, even blaming “Jewish Zionists” for recent news stories about how his ex-wife Kim Kardashian and her ex-boyfriend Pete Davidson (who Kanye called “a heroin addict”) have sex in front of a fireplace.
“Jewish people have owned the black voice,” West said. “Either it’s through us wearing the Ralph Lauren shirt, or it’s all of us being signed to a record label, or having a Jewish manager, or being signed to a Jewish basketball team, or doing a movie on a Jewish platform like Disney. I respect what the Jewish people have done, and how they brought their people together.”
West also complained about how Dov Charney — the (Jewish) Los Angeles Apparel founder who printed Kanye’s controversial White Lives Matter Shirts — refused to release the shirts after West’s “Death con 3 on Jewish People” tweet; Charney encouraged West to visit the Holocaust Museum, to which West told him to visit Planned Parenthood, “our Holocaust Museum.”
West claimed that he had four concerts planned for Los Angeles So-Fi Stadium, but the bookings were canceled by the stadium owners following his Death Con 3 tweet. “They been fucking with me for too long,” West said. “They put the crazy narrative out there.”
“Paparazzi taking a photo of you, you ain’t getting no money off of it. You’re used to getting screwed by the Jewish media,” West added. “And I’m saying, you poked the bear too fucking long.”
In an interview released today, the rapper doubled down on his comments, claiming that he has been “blocked out” by “the Jewish media”.
Additionally, Mr West claimed that “Jewish people have owned the Black voice, whether it’s through us wearing a Ralph Lauren shirt, or it’s all of us being signed to a record label, or having a Jewish manager, or being signed to a Jewish basketball team, or doing a movie on a Jewish platform like Disney.”
Going on to reiterate his tweet, the rapper claimed that he “is Jewish also”, adding: “We’re not just Black. We are Jew [sic], just like the Jewish people…I can’t be an antisemite.”
After being invited to attend a Holocaust museum, Mr West claimed that he responded by saying: “I want you to visit Planned Parenthood. That’s our Holocaust museum.”
Complaining about being photographed in public, Mr West said: “You get used to being screwed by the Jewish media.”
Throughout the interview, the rapper also referred to “Jewish business secrets”, “Jewish Zionists”, and stated how Jewish people in the entertainment industry “will take one of us, the brightest of us, that can really feed a whole village, and they’ll take us and milk us until we die.”
This is not the first instance of the rapper making incendiary remarks about Jewish people.
In an interview last year, Mr West said: “You know, you never hear about Jewish on Jewish crime. You know, they kill each other in business in a different kind of way, but not actually physically taking a life.”
According to the International Definition of Antisemitism, “Making mendacious, dehumanising, demonising, or stereotypical allegations about Jews as such or the power of Jews as collective — such as, especially but not exclusively, the myth about a world Jewish conspiracy or of Jews controlling the media, economy, government or other societal institutions” is an example of antisemitism.
Kanye west going on drink champs and ranting about Jewish people pic.twitter.com/WvPrXwtjsv
— Wazy hemisphere Megafan (@yipsigoon) October 16, 2022
Kanye doubling down and blaming Jewish Zionists for it being public that Kim had sex by a fireplace with Pete.
— Kassy Dillon (@KassyDillon) October 16, 2022
“It’s Jewish Zionists that’s about that life. That’s telling this Christian women that has four black children to put that out as a message.”pic.twitter.com/5m1F5wVpsO
- 2021: Black people are the real Hebrews
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) October 16, 2022
- 2022: I'm going [Defcon] 3 on Jewish people
- 2022: Jews have toyed with me long enough
THIS is who are defending @RealCandaceO - shame on you!
More here: https://t.co/Admjkh9xib
College leftists expand campaign to silence all talk of Zionism and Israel
On college campuses across the nation, progressive activists have accelerated their efforts to silence and ban any talk of Zionism. Last month, in a campaign initiated by Law Students for Justice in Palestine (LSJP) at Berkeley Law at the University of California Berkeley, nine progressive law groups amended their collective bylaws to exclude speakers that support “Zionism, the apartheid state of Israel, and the occupation of Palestine.” The LSJP claimed it as a win for the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel.New York’s largest Jewish Instagram page documents spike in anti-Semitic attacks
Woke ideologues have decided that campus freedom of speech is only for those who agree with them without the possibility for debate. And this particularly impacts Jews — particularly those who are Zionist. How has this happened? Like so much of left-think, this campus debate is pitting the “oppressed” vs. “oppressors.” In this case, “oppressed” Palestinians who must be advocated for and kept safe from their pro-Israel “oppressors.”
Along the way, pro-Palestinian groups like LSJP have the right to share their views, but pro-Zionist groups – not so much. And this leaves many Jewish students unable to defend themselves against increasingly hostile campus attacks.
David L. Bernstein, founder and CEO of the Jewish Institute for Liberal Values (JILV), and author of the new book “Woke Antisemitism: How Progressive Ideology Harms Jews” has studied the ways modern anti-Semitism has been rebranded as anti-Zionism — including on college campuses. “Oppressor v. Oppressed is always the default orientation of the woke left, whose ideologies equate power with depravity, and powerlessness with virtue,” writes Bernstein.
This ideology “has become so pernicious and so widespread that mainstream Jewish leaders have little chance to move the needle on progressive attitudes to Jews and Israel,” Bernstein adds.
New York’s largest Jewish community online platform has been bombarded with concerned citizens over the last few days.Italian far-right leaders join in commemoration of WWII roundup of Rome’s Jews
The Instagram page Jews of New York is receiving dozens of messages and videos of anti-Semitic incidents occurring throughout New York City, all being sent since the Jewish High Holidays began and with an increase since Kanye West made his anti-Semitic remarks this weekend.
Jews of New York representatives have gone out into the city streets to erase hate, such as “Jews suck” written on light posts. But threats against the city’s Jews persist daily. A Sukkah was vandalized on the Upper East Side this week.
A video on Instagram shows a man shouting at a visibly Orthodox Jew on the subway. “This is my history that you are hiding, the Jews were never enslaved, you wrote yourselves into history, this is no conspiracy,” the man yelled. The hateful speech is similar to Kanye West’s anti-Semitic remarks this week.
“In my time managing Jews of New York, I have never seen such constant hate against Jews in our city,” said Yoav Davis, founder of Jews of New York. “We are deeply concerned for the safety of the Jewish community in the world’s largest diaspora. We need our friends and allies to speak up, and we are praying that this endless cycle of hate will come to an end.”
Italy’s far-right political leadership marked the 79th anniversary of the World War II roundup of Rome’s Jews on Sunday with calls for such horror to never occur again, messages that took on greater significance following a national election won by a party with neo-fascist roots.Mel Gibson to testify against Weinstein, antisemitism won't be discussed
Giorgia Meloni, who is expected to head Italy’s first far-right-led government since the war’s end, phoned the leader of Rome’s Jewish community, Ruth Dureghello, to commemorate the anniversary, according to a community spokesman.
Meloni said in a statement that the anniversary serves as a “warning so that certain tragedies never happen again.” She said all Italians bear the memory “that serves to build antibodies against indifference and hatred, to continue to fight antisemitism in all its forms.”
On the morning of Oct. 16, 1943 during the German occupation of Italy, 1,259 people were arrested from Rome’s Ghetto and surrounding neighborhoods and brought to a military barracks near the Vatican, bound for deportation to Auschwitz. Only 16 survived.
Meloni called it a “tragic, dark and incurable day for Rome and Italy,” that ended with the “vile and inhuman deportation of Roman Jews at the hands of the Nazi-Fascist fury: women, men and children were snatched from life, house by house.”
Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party won the most votes in Sept. 25 national election — about 26% — and is expected to head a government along with the right-wing League and center-right Forza Italia.
Controversial Hollywood actor and director Mel Gibson will be allowed to testify against disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein, but the defense cannot ask the actor about his history of antisemitic statements, Variety reported Friday.
The ruling made by Judge Lisa B. Lench will see the prosecution call up Gibson in order to have him support the allegations of one of the women accusing Weinstein of sexual assault, the report stated.
However, while the defense will be allowed to ask if Gibson holds a grudge against the producer, they will not be allowed to ask about the actor's past scandals regarding racism and antisemitism.
Harvey Weinstein, Mel Gibson and antisemitism
Gibson has a long history of antisemitism accusations. This includes infamous remarks made in 2006 after his arrest, calling Jewish actress Wynona Rider an "oven dodger," as well as claims surrounding one of his most famous films, Passion of the Christ.
In particular, Weinstein, who is Jewish, is known to have been highly critical of the film, and even wrote a book about it.
This, in particular, is something Weinstein's attorney, Mark Werksman, brought up to the judge, arguing that it sparked a feud between Gibson and Weinstein.
According to Variety, Werksman asked to be allowed to confront Gibson about antisemitism. "He has a white-supremacist view," Werksman said. "Someone with white-supremacist values might have no problem perjuring himself against a Jewish defendant."
Man who hates Jews finds out he’s really Jewish.
— Ari Ingel (@OGAride) October 16, 2022
Man blames the Jews. #Twitter pic.twitter.com/raq5QSMNvL
Grass had also served in the Waffen SS and was a vicious antisemite, but sure … a @NobelPrize. https://t.co/R53vwLfyrJ
— Arsen Ostrovsky (@Ostrov_A) October 16, 2022
Probably one of the best tourism ads I’ve seen. ?? Way to go @YRazvozov and the Israel Ministry of Tourism! pic.twitter.com/xcLN4EnZ7P
— Emily Schrader - ????? ?????? ????? ????? (@emilykschrader) October 16, 2022
"#Jerusalem is an organic, inseparable part of the State of Israel, just as it is an integral part of Jewish history and belief. Jerusalem is the heart of the State of Israel."
— Arsen Ostrovsky (@Ostrov_A) October 16, 2022
~ David Ben-Gurion, who was born #OTD 1886 pic.twitter.com/PrpkhFoAVN
Aharon Jakobson (wearing a white shirt in the center of the photo), dances with a Torah scroll along with fellow members of the Zionist Youth Front during #SimchatTorah in the Lodz ghetto.
— Yad Vashem (@yadvashem) October 16, 2022
Aharon was later murdered at Gleiwitz, a sub-camp of #Auschwitz https://t.co/8Dn8SgpGGy pic.twitter.com/hG2V8ppFg2
Tonight, Jews around the world will begin to celebrate the final Holy Days of the Jewish High Holy season.
— CIJA (@CIJAinfo) October 16, 2022
Here are a few things you need to know about Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah.
Chag sameach! pic.twitter.com/EvrXF39IDV
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