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Sunday, July 02, 2023

07/02 Links: Terrorists, not Jewish homes, cause violence in the West Bank; The centrality of Antisemitism to PA ideology; Netanyahu condemns antisemitic attacks in France riots

From Ian:

JPost Editorial: Terrorists, not Jewish homes, cause violence in the West Bank
Palestinian terrorists have never wanted for pretexts to attack Jews.

In 1929, it was the presence of Jews at the Western Wall – the retaining wall of the Temple Mount complex, Judaism’s most sacred site – that was used as a rallying cry by the antisemitic mufti of Jerusalem, Hajj Amin al-Husseini, to incite the mobs that murdered dozens of Jews in Hebron and throughout the land.

In 1936, as former Jerusalem Post reporter Oren Kessler documents in his book, Palestine 1936, it was the immigration of Jews to Palestine and their purchase of local land that was exploited by the leaders of the Arab revolt that claimed the lives of hundreds of Jews.

In 1947 and 1948, it was the formation of the Jewish national home that served the commanders of the Arab irregular forces that attacked Jews and destroyed Jewish property in an effort to prevent the State of Israel from coming into being.

And today it is the construction of homes for Israeli families in the Jewish heartland that Palestinian terrorist groups use as an excuse to murder Jews in their homes, on the roads, in their synagogues, and elsewhere.

If it were true that the construction of homes causes violence, it would follow logically that the absence of such construction should bring about a lull in that violence. But the 10-month settlement freeze declared by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government in November 2009 did no such thing.

Numerous Israelis, both soldiers and civilians, were murdered by Palestinian terrorists during that period, and the Palestinian leadership came up with one excuse after another to refuse to come to the negotiating table.

What drives Palestinian terrorism is the persistent refusal to countenance any sovereign Jewish presence in this land, the hatred and dehumanization of Jews, the ongoing incitement to violence in Palestinian schools and mosques, and the Palestinian Authority’s incentivization of terrorism by means of financial inducements and rewards.

So, no, Mr. Secretary-General. Jewish homes do not cause violence. Terrorists cause violence. And to compare the construction of homes to the wanton murder of innocent civilians is to engage in a stunning perversion of basic morality that brings shame to the UN and to your office.
Jonathan Pollard: Vigilante actions are a result of absence of government counter terror policy
The problem, as I see it, is that the settlers feel that they are considered “hefker - abandoned - by the Left, the army, the current government, and the Americans. Nobody seems to understand that the presence of their communities is the only thing standing in the way of another Gaza being created, this time hard upon the vital center of our country. So, in what they see as the absence of an army policy that will act decisively to prevent this, what are the settlers expected to do? Wait to be murdered?

Personally, I am opposed to vigilante actions of any kind. However, in this particular situation, I understand that such behavior is being undertaken by those who have lost hope of any effective government counter terror policy. This is why I will not follow Rabbi Lichtenstein in blanket condemnation of the frustration and fear of those giving it back to the Arabs in their own coin, but call out to the government to make it unnecessary.

As far as I’m concerned, the Arabs occupying our G-d given Land in Judea and Samaria are our enemies. You can see it when they openly celebrate the murder of our people and none of them, including their leaders, criticize it. You can see it in all the polling that’s done by reputable organizations, that clearly shows they will never accept our presence. Basically, they constitute a clear and present threat to our survival and should be treated as such.

If rabbinic figures, such as Rabbi Lichtenstein, who encourage settling Judea and Samaria, consider the vigilante action conducted by a small number of the settlers and others contrary to Torah, I suggest they should also devote their commentary to pushing for a more robust government counter terror policy.
PMW: The centrality of Antisemitism to PA ideology - PMW Director Marcus explains PA political and religious Antisemitism
Palestinian Media Watch Director Itamar Marcus spoke about PA Antisemitism at several events last month. One was a panel discussion “From East to West: The Export of Antisemitism from Arabic Media,” hosted by PMW and CAMERA Arabic at the Menachem Begin Heritage Center in Jerusalem. Marcus also spoke at a live-streamed conference organised by Pulse of Israel called “Unmasking Jew-hatred within the Palestinian national movement.”

The following are excerpts of two articles summarizing Marcus’ talks and his and PMW’s findings on PA Antisemitism:

Palestinian antisemitism is systemic and should be exposed By Steven Gruzd
“The image that Palestinians portray in the English media is very different from the messages they send to their own people in Arabic,” Itamar Marcus said. “Incidents of Palestinian antisemitism aren’t isolated examples; they are systematically disseminated by the Palestinian Authority (PA).” Jewish leaders have been criticised for not bringing enough attention to this reality, and Western governments have been castigated for continued support for the Palestinians in spite of their Jew-hating racism.

Marcus is the founder of Palestinian Media Watch, an Israeli non-governmental organisation that monitors incitement and extremism – usually in Arabic – in Palestinian media and schoolbooks. He was speaking at “Unmasking Jew-hatred within the Palestinian national movement”, a live-streamed conference organised by Pulse of Israel on 25 June.

Marcus showed several examples, including from PA President Mahmoud Abbas, of Palestinian political antisemitism that propagates the myth that Jews are evil, threaten humanity, and have brought hatred on themselves by their actions and character. The PA also posits that Israel is an illegal, alien, settler-colonial implant in “Palestine” with no right to exist, created by Europeans who wanted to solve their own “Jewish problem”. Abbas has claimed that Zionists fabricated the Holocaust, and were in cahoots with the Nazis.

Marcus also gave examples of Palestinian religious antisemitism. Leading Palestinian Muslim clerics have declared on television that Jews are apes and pigs, cursed, and subhuman. Those who murder Jews are celebrated as heroes, martyrs, and role models.
[The South African Jewish Report, June 29, 2023]


Netanyahu condemns antisemitic attacks in France riots
Israel condemns attacks on Jewish targets in the riots across France, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the start of Sunday’s cabinet meeting.

“The government views with utmost concern the displays and waves of antisemitism sweeping over France,” Netanyahu said. “In recent days, we have witnessed criminal assaults against Jewish targets."

“We strongly condemn these attacks and we support the French government in its fight against antisemitism,” he added.

Rioters vandalized the Holocaust memorial site in Paris, known as The Memorial to the Martyrs of the Deportation, during the ongoing violent anti-police demonstrations on Friday.

The monument honors the memory of 200,000 people sent from Vichy France to Nazi concentration camps.

Footage of the vandalized memorial went viral
Video footage of the incident shows rioters shouting and writing anti-police slogans on the wall of the site. Other videos circulated on social media appeared to show the phrase “we’re going to make a Shoah” spray-painted nearby.

“It is truly horrifying to witness the Memorial to the Martyrs of the Deportation in Nanterre being vandalized,” the European Jewish Conference tweeted. “This shameful act of disrespect for the memory of the victims of the Holocaust must be unequivocally condemned and those responsible held accountable.”

Netanyahu ally and French-Israeli lawmaker Meyer Habib, who represents French expats living in the Eastern Mediterranean region, said on Saturday that the riots come from areas where antisemitism was allowed to flourish unfettered.
Russia declares former chief rabbi of Moscow a ‘foreign agent’
Former chief rabbi of Moscow Pinchas Goldschmidt is a “foreign agent,” Russia’s Justice Ministry said, according to a report on Friday by Interfax.

“Goldschmidt disseminated false information about the decisions made by public authorities of the Russian Federation and their policies,” the report from the official Russian news outlet said, quoting the Justice Ministry. “He opposed the special military operation in Ukraine.”

Goldschmidt left Russia at the beginning of the war and called for Jews to leave Russia.

“When we look back over Russian history, whenever the political system was in danger you saw the government trying to redirect the anger and discontent of the masses towards the Jewish community,” Goldschmidt told The Guardian. “We saw this in tsarist times and at the end of the Stalinist regime.”

He argued that Russia’s floundering invasion of Ukraine is starting to foster a similar environment.

"Russia going back to a new kind of Soviet Union" - Goldschmidt
“We’re seeing rising antisemitism while Russia is going back to a new kind of Soviet Union, and step by step the Iron Curtain is coming down again. This is why I believe the best option for Russian Jews is to leave,” Goldschmidt said in January.

Goldschmidt, 59, has been the president of the Conference of European Rabbis since 2011 and now lives in Israel after fleeing Russia in 2022. He was born and raised in Switzerland.
A festival, a funeral and failed leadership
America's most wanted female fugitive made a featured appearance on global TV again this past Friday. Ahlam Tamimi. a designated FBI Most Wanted terrorist since March 2017, looked jubilant as the centerpriece of a 25 minute interview on the Al-Aqsa TV network.

Al-Aqsa has beamed programs daily from Gaza to Arabic-speaking audiences in every part of the world since 2006.

Back in 2010, the US Department of the Treasury, calling it "a television station financed and controlled by Hamas" designated Al-Aqsa TV as:
a primary Hamas media outlet [that] airs programs and music videos designed to recruit children to become Hamas armed fighters and suicide bombers upon reaching adulthood. Treasury will not distinguish between a business financed and controlled by a terrorist group, such as Al-Aqsa Television, and the terrorist group itself...

Treasury designations like this one are intended to freeze assets held by the station and:
prohibit U.S. persons from engaging in any transactions with these parties. Executive Order 13224 targets terrorists, terrorist organizations, persons owned or controlled by or acting for or on behalf of designated terrorists or terrorist organizations, and those providing financial, material, or technological support to designated terrorists or terrorist organizations, or for acts of terrorism.

Sounds fearsome. But for years, video programming that originates with Al-Aqsa TV gets a considerable part of its global distribution from Facebook. Could this amount to Facebook/Meta giving "financial, material, or technological support to designated terrorists"?

Ahlam Tamimi, who has long called her central role in the massacre of Jewish children in Jerusalem's Sbarro pizzeria in 2001 "the crown on my head", was interviewed live on Friday June 30, 2023 in a program marking the festival of Eid al Adha that ran for 25 minutes on Al-Aqsa TV that day and that's still viewable now on Facebook [here].

It's somewhat rambling and unfocused, with lengthy elements of theology and calls for understanding of the greatness of what jihadists like Tamimi herself personify.
"Yehuda Glick on Trial for Walking Too Slowly on Temple Mount"
Last Wednesday, former Likud MK Yehuda Glick appeared for the opening of another trial against him, this time for walking slowly on the Temple Mount, Makor Rishon reported on Sunday. The police made it clear at the initial hearing that it intends to demand a prison sentence for Glick, as a warning to others.

The last time, the State of Israel prosecuted Glick was based on accusations by an Arab woman, a member of the Islamist movement al-Murabitat, who said that Glik beat her. In the end, the police had to withdraw the indictment in shame, when it was proven that the woman made up the accusation. But Glick had been harassed by the prosecution for a year and a half, during which he barely survived an assassination attempt on his life.

Is it any wonder he walks slowly?

According to the indictment, in early 2020, “At the end of the tour, the accused returned and tried again to enter the Temple Mount area alone. Later, the accused joined another group and began the tour, but stopped every few steps, walked slowly, and looked at his mobile phone. This was despite the fact that he was asked time and time again by the policeman to keep walking and join the group. However, the accused did not obey his instructions. The accused continued to ignore the policeman’s instructions and deviated from the group’s route, which was moving in a different direction.”

Off with his head!


Syrian anti-aircraft battery hit after missile explodes over Israel
Israeli fighter jets struck an anti-aircraft battery in Syrian territory on Saturday night after a Syrian anti-aircraft missile exploded in Israeli airspace, the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.

The missile exploded over southern Israel, with shrapnel found in the Bedouin town of Rahat. The IDF said that there were no casualties, and no special instructions were issued following the incident. No sirens were activated. Residents of the south and center reported hearing the explosion.

“It fell right next to the children’s bedroom, we were very lucky,” a Rahat resident was quoted as saying by Kan News.

Simultaneously with the missile’s detonation shortly after midnight, Syrian media reported air defenses had responded to an Israeli aerial attack in the Homs area in the western part of the country.

The Israeli attack came from northeast of Beirut, and caused material damage, Syria’s official SANA news agency reported.

Rahat is some 257 miles from Homs and around 142 miles from the Syrian border. Reports indicated that the Syrian missile was a Russian-made S-200 long-range surface-to-air missile.
Syrian missile explodes over Israel
The Israeli air force struck sites on Syrian territory after a missile fired from Syria exploded mid-air over central and southern Israel early on Sunday.




Great-granddaughter of first IDF chief follows in his footsteps
When 20-year-old Noa Dori adorned her officer's rank with great pride at the officers' course graduation ceremony in June, the memory of her great-grandfather, Yaakov Dori – the first Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces and one of its founders – whose military career served as guidance and inspiration for her, will be with her in spirit. "I have a sense of mission and commitment to myself," she tells Israel Hayom.

According to Noa, "The vision of my grandfather has accompanied me from childhood. He was also a soldier and reached the rank of brigadier general. I grew up in a Zionist home that is based on the values ​​of love for our homeland and country. I grew up knowing that the ground we stand on is not something to be taken for granted. If we don't look after what they achieved and sacrificed, it will be a disaster. This is our mission. I continue my way through them."

Noa, her parents' second daughter, enlisted in August 2021 as a combat soldier in a unit in which male and female soldiers serve side by side along the border. "This is a very important force," she emphasizes. "We give high-quality performances even though we are girls. It is an interesting service and an experience that one won't have anywhere else. Boys and girls are recruited from trainee camp together, and it's fun to see the blend with the boys. There are no differences. You don't see that in many places.

"As female soldiers, we do not feel any difference or discrimination. The army supports us and believes in us. This is not regular service, but they do not make it easy for us. There are many girls who want to be in combat positions. There is an increase in girls doing combat service. We have to be mentally and physically strong. We make arrests, ambushes and thwart smuggling."

Attribution and responsibility
During her service, Noa underwent an eight-month basic training, an NCO course, and served as a squad commander at the brigade training base, was given an officer's rank.

As the great-granddaughter of the first chief of staff, Noa decided to become a combat soldier, also in order to continue her extensive family legacy: "There is no doubt that this was part of my decision to become an officer," the young officer honestly admits. "I'm currently finishing the course and have been assigned to the corps' training base, to train the next group of recruits. I hope I can give more of myself. I am still considering the option of a military career."


Samaria leader slams military-style funeral for PA official
The IDF green-lighted a funeral procession on Sunday for a Palestinian official that included some 50 uniformed and armed P.A. police officers, in a move that drew the ire of local Jewish residents.

During the ceremony for Qadri Abu Bakr, 70, Israeli authorities partly closed Route 5 (the Trans-Samaria Highway) to Israeli motorists.

Abu Bakr, who headed the Palestinian Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs, died in a car crash near Ariel over the weekend. A longtime PLO functionary, he managed Ramallah’s “Pay for Slay” fund, which provides monthly stipends to terrorists and their families.

Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas eulogized Abu Bakr as a “strong freedom fighter.”

“Abu Bakr has stood at the forefront, defending the causes in all areas of national action and struggle, and in the international arena, since the early times of the [Palestinian] national movement,” added Abbas.

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu again lauded ongoing efforts to combat Palestinian terrorism, saying his government has “targeted a record number of terrorists.”

“I have said that they are to be found in one of two places: The grave or jail, mostly the former. We settle accounts with every terrorist and everyone who dispatched terrorists—in Gaza, in Judea and Samaria, in Syria and even in Iran,” continued the premier.


Biden Should Reset His Failed Iran Policy
Rumors are swirling in Washington, a city that likes nothing so much as a scandal, about the possible reasons for Robert Malley’s fall from grace. What we know for certain is that President Joe Biden’s point man on Iran is on leave while his security clearance is under review. The White House has offered no explanation, but CNN is reporting that the State Department has launched a security investigation into his possible mishandling of classified information.

“I have been informed that my security clearance is under review,” Malley said in a statement to Bloomberg News. “I have not been provided any further information, but I expect the investigation to be resolved favorably and soon. In the meantime, I am on leave.”

Clearance reviews are not unheard of, but it is highly unusual for an official of Malley’s seniority and closeness to the White House to face such scrutiny. And it could hardly come at a more inopportune moment for the Biden administration, which was on the verge a breakthrough in negotiations with Iran for the release of at least three Americans being held hostage by the Islamic Republic.

The families of Siamak Namazi, Morad Tahbaz and Emad Shargi, all imprisoned on trumped-up charges of espionage, will hope that they will be released regardless of Malley’s troubles. Namazi has been detained since the fall of 2015, Tahbaz since early 2018, and Shargi since late 2020.

In addition to negotiating their release, Malley’s parleys in New York with Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations were part of a wider effort to reach a new agreement to limit Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for an easing of economic sanctions. Those penalties were imposed by the US five years ago after President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from a nuclear deal struck in 2015. Biden administration officials and Iranian diplomats have quietly conducted indirect talks in Oman — raising alarms in Congress, where a bipartisan group of lawmakers is anxious that Biden may be trying to circumvent their oversight of any nuclear bargain.

Malley’s troubles should sharpen the focus, inside and outside the administration, on Biden’s Iran policy. It is long overdue for a reset.

Upon taking office, the president made the revival of the 2015 agreement — known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action — a top foreign-policy goal. He entrusted the task to Malley, a key player in the negotiations by President Barack Obama’s administration that led to the JCPOA. (That pact was a poor bargain: At best, it postponed for a few years Iran’s nuclear ambitions in exchange for the lifting of comprehensive sanctions imposed by the UN.) In addition to Biden’s backing, Malley had strong political connections: He went to high school with Secretary of State Tony Blinken and law school with Obama.
Iran’s Pincer War on Israel Is No Intifada
The Iranian penetration in northern Samaria in the West Bank marks the most far-reaching sign that Iranian terror forces have penetrated Israeli territory and pose a strategic threat. IRGC officials assured PIJ leader Ziyad al-Nakhalah that Iran would smuggle additional weapons to the West Bank through Jordan, and that PIJ would receive more financial support. Iran also demanded the establishment of rocket production facilities in northern Samaria.

Nakhalah praised Iran’s unwavering support for Palestinians, saying, “No other country in the world takes such a stance so explicitly”, “a testament to Tehran’s support for the Palestinian resistance factions” that also “highlights strong ties between PIJ, Hamas, and the Islamic Republic.” Nakhalah also met Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, the Majlis (Iranian parliament) speaker, on 17 June.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh also met both Supreme Leader Khamenei and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. Haniyeh stated that the June terror attack in Eli that killed four was “just the beginning” of a renewed campaign against Israel. Haniyeh’s deputy, Saleh al-Arouri, the head of Hamas’ military wing in Judea and Samaria responsible for the attack, was also in Tehran.

In Iran, Hamas official Osama Hamdan also mentioned the important role of Israeli Arabs in the battle against Israel, evidenced in events during the IDF’s Guardian of the Walls operation in May 2021. He said the West Bank was entering a new stage of resistance, referring to Iran’s creation of 20 to 30 new “battalions” of 2 000 militants in northern Samaria, which aims to spread to central Judea and Samaria, around Ramallah.

As Iran intelligence analyst Micky Segal has noted in a recent Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs analysis, Khamenei reiterated the importance of the West Bank, saying that “Gaza is the centre of resistance, while the point that will bring the enemy to its knees is the West Bank”. Khamenei, who meets often with PIJ, said, “The growing power of the resistance groups in the West Bank is the key that can bring the Zionist enemy to its knees, and it’s crucial that we continue along this path.”

Iran’s pincer war on the Jewish state has been a long time coming since 1979, with the violent takeover of Iran by the ayatollahs. In 2014, Khamenei declared, “I believe the West Bank should be armed just like Gaza.” General Soleimani’s IRGC Quds Force has made an effort since then to arm Palestinians in the West Bank on orders from Khamenei.

Israel isn’t standing idly by. The Israel Defense Forces has been planning for the IRGC terror encampment and campaign on its three borders. The IRGC’s penetration into the hills above central Israel will probably be met in the near term with a massive, uncompromising counterterror campaign to secure Israel’s major cities and protect its citizens from Iran’s jihad.
Seth Frantzman: Iran stores arsenal of ballistic missiles in dozens of bunkers in hidden valley - report
Iran uses a valley in Kermanshah, Iran to base its Qiam-1 ballistic missiles, according to a new report from the Alma Research and Education Center.

“Not only do we have positive identification of the Qiam-1 ballistic missile arsenal in Kermanshah, Iran but you can even look directly into the missile base from an overlooking observation point,” the Center said last week.

The report shows Qiam-1 ballistic missiles based at an area around 150km. from the border with Iraq.

The missiles are allegedly kept in dozens of bunkers in three underground sites. One of them is in Konesht Canyon. There are “dozens of missile bunkers” dug into this canyon, the research center says.

A video online produced by Alma shows evidence of 61 missile bunkers in the canyon. Footage also shows what a bunker for a Qiam missile might look like.

They also say they have identified 80 other bunkers at a site called Panj Pelleh. These could house Qiam or Fatteh missiles.

The canyon site has anti-aircraft weapons as well. The research center shows the location of the sites and the general context of the area. It also shows that there are surface-to-air missile sites at the Kermanshah air base.

Alma describes itself as “an education and research center, dedicated to researching the security challenges on Israel’s northern borders and educating opinion-makers from research centers, academia, and others on the multi-dimensional complexities in the Middle East.”


BBC News airbrushes extremist group from vandalism story
Early on June 27th Israel time, an uncredited report tagged ‘Israel & the Palestinians’ was published on the ‘Wales’ and ‘Middle East’ pages of the BBC News website.

Similar signposting is found in the report’s headline: “Israel and Palestinians: Factory attack political protesters jailed”.

In fact, that story has nothing to do with “Israel and Palestinians”. Rather it concerns a group of British citizens who, last December, severely vandalised a factory (including a memorial) in Wales because they mistakenly believed it manufactured components used by an Israeli company.

The BBC’s report opens as follows:
“Pro-Palestinian protesters who caused hundreds of thousands of pounds of damage to an electronics plant they believed was making circuit boards for Israeli drones have been jailed.”

There is of course nothing “pro-Palestinian” about that gang of British vandals. Remarkably, at no point in this entire article are readers informed that they belong to the anti-Israel group ‘Palestine Action’, despite that fact having been known ever since the story first broke over six months ago. The BBC is presumably aware of that fact too because this report includes no fewer than four photos credited to a photographer named Vladimir Morozov who has photographed such agitprop by ‘Palestine Action’ on numerous occasions in the past.

Moreover, all but one of the previous BBC reports presented as “more on this story” at the bottom of this latest article likewise fail to report the connection of the criminals to ‘Palestine Action’.

For over two years CAMERA UK has been documenting the BBC News website’s reporting on political stunts organised by the group of UK anti-Israel extremists calling themselves ‘Palestine Action’.
Success! CP24 Upholds HRC Concerns About Coverage Of The Death Of Two Palestinian Terrorists
On May 13, CP24 broadcasted a report that failed to mention that two Palestinians who were killed by IDF forces were actually terrorists. CP24’s anchor stated: “Meanwhile, the Israeli military has raided a refugee camp in the west bank killing two Palestinians, at least three other Palestinians were wounded…”

Untold by CP24, but as was reported by the Jerusalem Post, Israeli security forces raided a terrorist safe house in the Balata Refugee Camp in Nablus that saw two Palestinian gunmen – Adnan Wassim Yousef Al-Araj, 19, and Saed Jihad Shaker Masha, 32 – killed in a firefight. The Times of Israel also noted that: “Amid the raid, Palestinian gunmen opened fire at troops, and others hurled explosive devices, the IDF said.”

This context deserved to be clarified by CP24, failing which, viewers may have wrongly concluded that two presumably innocent Palestinian civilians were killed by Israeli forces.

HonestReporting Canada immediately filed a complaint with CP24 and we are pleased to note that the broadcaster has upheld our concerns, and have met with its team members involved to sensitize them about the importance of double-checking that enough detail and context is included in their scripts:

We thank CP24 for its response and for committing to improve their reporting by promising to include context, when appropriate, that identifies Palestinian casualties as combatants engaged in violent hostilities against Israelis.


Scoop: Tel Aviv museum drops event with Christie’s after broad criticism
The Tel Aviv Museum of Art, a nearly 100-year-old institution that hosted the 1948 signing of Israel’s Declaration of Independence, has come under fire in recent months from Holocaust survivors for its decision to co-host an event with Christie’s.

The world’s largest auction house is organizing a series of events this year titled “Reflecting on Restitution.” The programs mark the 25th anniversary of the agreement that emerged from the 1998 Washington Conference on Holocaust Era Assets, a joint U.S. State Department and Holocaust Memorial Museum program.

But Christie’s drew controversy for a recent sale of jewels that belonged to Heidi Horten, widow of the billionaire Helmut Horten, who made his money in part taking over former Jewish businesses during World War II.

“It would be a tremendous shame—and a real disgrace—if the museum went forward with this conference,” Joel Greenberg, a Pennsylvania-based philanthropist and businessman whose foundation works closely with Holocaust survivors, told JNS last month.

On July 2, Tania Coen-Uzzielli, director of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, told JNS that the museum was pulling the plug on the event.

The museum’s management and board of directors stated, “The Tel Aviv Museum is open to criticism and sensitive to public opinion and therefore decided not to hold the conference: ‘Reflections on restitution’ in partnership with Christie’s auction house in December 2023,” Coen-Uzzielli told JNS.
Leviathan partners in Israel to invest $568 million in third gas pipeline
Partners in the Israeli offshore gas project Leviathan said on Sunday they would invest $568 million to build a third pipeline that will allow increased natural gas production and exports.

Leviathan, a deep-sea field with huge deposits, came online at the end of 2019 and produces 12 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas per year for sale to Israel, Egypt and Jordan. The idea is to boost capacity to include sizeable volumes for Europe as it seeks to reduce dependence on Russian energy.

The new pipeline will connect the well with a production facility some 10 km off Israel's Mediterranean shore. It is due to come online in the second half of 2025, when production at Leviathan will jump to 14 bcm a year, the companies said.

The Leviathan consortium includes operator Chevron (CVX.N) and Israel's NewMed Energy (NWMDp.TA) and Ratio Energies (RATIp.TA).

"Expansion of the production capacity and future liquefaction via a designated liquefaction facility will allow us to supply more natural gas to the local, regional, and very soon also the global market," said NewMed CEO Yossi Abu.

In the longer-term, Leviathan production is expected to reach about 21 bcm a year. The group has announced plans for a floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal off the Israeli coast with an annual LNG capacity of about 4.6 million tons, or 6.5 bcm.
Israel advances to Under-21 Euro soccer semis
Israel scored a historic victory in the Under-21 European Championships, beating Georgia in a penalty shootout on Saturday night to advance to the semifinals.

The Israeli squad won 4-3 in penalties following a goalless contest.

Israeli goalkeeper Daniel Peretz was awarded man of the match for keeping the Georgians off the scoresheet, including blocking one of the shootout attempts.

The win silenced the 44,338 fans gathered in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, which is hosting the tournament together with Romania.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the team’s “incredible achievement.”

President Isaac Herzog hailed the team’s “determination and willpower,” adding, “We’re behind you.”

Israel will play on Wednesday for a spot in the final against the winner of Sunday’s match between Portugal and England, which beat the Israeli squad 2-0 during the group stage.
Israel U-21 national team reaches Euro semifinals
Israel's Under-21 National Soccer team has reached the U-21 Euros semifinal after beating host nation Georgia on penalties


Discover Israel’s 9 beautiful World Heritage Sites
It’s no secret that Israel is packed with gorgeous and important-for-all-humanity sites. So much so, that nine of them are designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites, alongside global landmarks such as the Taj Mahal, the Great Barrier Reef and Yellowstone National Park.

To be included in the prestigious list, cultural or natural sites must meet multiple criteria such as representing a masterpiece of human creative genius, containing superlative natural phenomena, or being outstanding examples representing major stages of Earth’s history.

In addition, Israel has made a list of 18 further tentative options worthy of being included, such as Caesarea, Timna and the Sea of Galilee.

Until these join their rightful place, check out those already granted world fame and make sure to visit as many as you can when you’re next here – they made it to the list for good reason.

Masada
No visit to Israel is complete without a trip to Masada, and it seems the experts over at the UN agree.

The ancient mountaintop fortress, where a group of Jewish families held out for several months against the mighty Roman Legion, stands starkly against the backdrop of the Judean Desert and the Dead Sea and is an absolute sight to behold.

It is also apparently the most complete surviving Roman siege works and, from personal experience, completely worth the grueling hike (though you can also take a cable car up and down).

The Old City of Acre
The Old City of Acre (Akko) on the northwestern coast is unique in that it showcases a stunning mix of Crusader and Ottoman architecture.

The Knights’ Hall, Grand Mosque and cobbled alleyways look straight out of a movie set, but most luckily are home to a wonderful mix of people and traditions.

Our top tip is to visit the area on the most scorching of summer days to allow the cool, ancient stones offer you respite from the glaring sun – just as they have for a myriad of generations before you.

Tel Aviv’s White City
The White City in Tel Aviv is the most comprehensive collection of Modernist architecture. Colloquially known as “Bauhaus,” it’s represented by white buildings with curved balconies and gracious proportions built with functionality in mind.

A lot of Modernist architects escaped Europe during World War II to Tel Aviv, bringing over with them this unique style to our little corner of the Middle East and giving it a whole new look. While there are numerous tours you can take in Tel Aviv to learn more about it, you can also simply enjoy a stroll on city streets such as Rothschild Boulevard and spot plenty of examples.
New mural at Ben Gurion Airport celebrates Jewish history
Isaac Assa of the Israel Latin American Network joins to discuss the unveiling of the "Jewish Mona Lisa"






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