Tuesday, July 25, 2023

07/25 Links Pt2: The EU-Funded Education for Jihad and Martyrdom; Reuters Parrots Palestinian Historical Revisionism in Archaeology Report

From Ian:

Bassam Tawil: The EU-Funded Education for Jihad and Martyrdom
While the Iranian-backed Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror groups in the Gaza Strip use summer camps to train children how to become combatants and murder Jews, the Palestinian Authority, through its education system, effectively does the same thing. It poisons their hearts and minds through incendiary material in its school textbooks.

Even the European Parliament condemned the Palestinian Authority over the "hateful" content of its textbooks. The European Union, for the past two-and-a-half years, withheld assistance from the Palestinian Authority while demanding political reforms and the purging of incitement to violence from Palestinian textbooks. A resolution passed this year by the European Parliament went so far as to directly link the content of the textbooks with Palestinian terrorism... The resolution also acknowledged that there is antisemitism in the textbooks and demanded that it be removed.

The Palestinian Authority, however, has not removed from its textbooks material that promotes violence or loathing Jews.

Nevertheless, despite repeated talk by the European Union on the need to change Palestinian textbooks, it is apparently resuming unconditional financial aid to the Palestinian Authority. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced last year during a visit to Ramallah, the de facto capital of the Palestinians, that EU funds will be resumed "rapidly."

This sudden burst of generosity raises questions about the EU's seriousness when it talks about the need to remove the "hateful material" from the textbooks.

The announcement by the European Commission president shows that the Europeans do not honestly care if the Palestinian Authority continues to incite violence and promote Jew-hatred in its schools. In fact, by resuming unconditional financial aid to the Palestinians, the EU is signaling that it approves of the hateful material in the textbooks and actually encourages the Palestinians to continue their Jihad against Israel and Jews.


Reuters Parrots Palestinian Historical Revisionism in Archaeology Report
In its brief report on a recent archaeological discovery in Gaza, Reuters not only reported the facts but also uncritically provided a platform for inane Palestinian historical revisionism.

Detailing the unearthing of 125 Roman-era tombs near a building site, including a rare find of two sarcophagi made from lead, both Reuters’ report and accompanying video also aired the statements of two Gaza-based authorities who hijacked this exciting archaeology news by unabashedly trying to connect this ancient discovery to the modern-day Palestinians.

Fadel Al-A’utul, of the prestigious French School of Biblical and Archaeological Research, claimed that this find “proves to the world about the existence of Palestinian culture and heritage.”

Likewise, Jamal Abu Reida, the General-Director of the Hamas-run Antiquities Ministry, asserted that:
The cemetery is important because it deepens Palestinian roots on this land and that it dates back to thousands of years and it refutes the Zionist allegations. It refutes Israeli claims that Palestine is a land without people and that its people are without land. The existence of this cemetery…signifies stability and ongoing habitation.

However, the fly in the ointment for both Al-A’utul and Abu Reida’s claims is that these tombs predate the Palestinians and are entirely unrelated to Gaza’s current inhabitants.

Related Reading: Forensic Architecture ‘Investigation’ Into ‘Destruction of Gaza’s Antiquities’ Glosses Over Real Archaeological Crimes

According to a 2014 historical survey in Haaretz, the Gaza of Roman times was inhabited by a diverse population of Jews, Greeks, Romans, Philistines, Egyptians, Persians and Bedouin.

Notice who’s missing?

The Palestinians didn’t reside in Roman Gaza because there weren’t any Palestinians yet.

The Palestinians claim to trace their heritage back to the Muslim Arab conquest of the region in 637 C.E., hundreds of years after these ancient tombs would have been sealed.

By ludicrously alleging that these tombs are evidence for 2000 years of Palestinian history and that they also serve as a refutation of long-standing Jewish ties to the region, Al-A’utul and Abu Reida are not only distorting history in the service of modern-day politics but are also calling into question the integrity of any academic archaeological work that is conducted in the Hamas-administered coastal enclave.


Why do some US Congress members have unwavering hostility to Israel?
No matter what we do, certain members of Congress will find a way to slander the Jewish state.

It was a busy week for Congress, as political tensions arose over issues surrounding Israel and antisemitism. These incidents happened just days before President Isaac Herzog’s address to a joint session of Congress to mark Israel’s 75th anniversary, when he reiterated the need for bipartisan support for Israel.

It started when a group of anti-Israel protesters hijacked and harassed a Jewish member of the Democratic party at Saturday’s keynote address at the Netroots Nation conference. Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky is a vocal critic of Israel’s current government, a proponent of a two-state solution, and has vocally supported Palestinians. But to anti-Zionists, she is just another Jewish person in their way. Her political stance did not matter as they continued to chant against her until she walked off the stage. Why do some Congress members continue to vocally be hostile toward Israel?

In an attempt to placate the anti-Israeli protesters, Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal stood up and said, “I want you to know that we have been fighting to make it clear that Israel is a racist state!”

Jayapal’s disgusting comments rightfully triggered a backlash, so much so that she issued a statement where she corrected herself, writing: “I do not believe the idea of Israel as a nation is racist,” and attributed her comments to Israel’s current government.

This weak apology has no standing, since it was clear to Diaspora Jews what she meant. Her words have consequences, and whether she misspoke or not, her language harms Diaspora Jews by equating Jewish self-determination with racism. I have many issues with our current government and its policies, which I have condemned publicly, but Jayapal’s words did not refer to Israeli policy. Instead, they referred to the idea of a Jewish state.

Jayapal’s remarks prompted a resolution in Congress that clarified that Israel “is not a racist or apartheid state” and that the US rejects all forms of antisemitism and xenophobia. It also reaffirmed the unwavering support and partnership between the United States and Israel. The resolution was passed by a vote of 412-9, with an overwhelming majority of 195 Democrats voting in favor.

The nine Congressional members of the Democrat party who opposed the resolution were representatives Rashida Tlaib, Jamaal Bowman, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Cori Bush, Summer Lee, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, Andre Carson, and Delia Ramirez. These nine Democrats are known as “the Squad” – notorious anti-Israel figures who make grand accusations against Israel being a racist and apartheid state while ignoring Palestinian terror groups.

Representatives like Tlaib and Omar will target and slander Israel while ignoring (and sometimes even supporting) dictators and human rights violators in Iran, Russia, and Venezuela. Squad members have actively harmed American Jews by opposing the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism, and pushing antisemitic conspiracy theories about Jews controlling the world with money (who can forget Omar’s “it’s all about the Benjamins” tweet).

Nobody is surprised that these nine politicians opposed a resolution supporting the Jewish community, or that they rushed to Jayapal’s defense when she received backlash for her remarks.
George and Alex Soros Max Out to Israel-Hating Congresswoman
George Soros and his son Alex sent maximum contributions to liberal Washington congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, who has faced intense criticism from fellow Democrats in recent days for slandering Israel as a "racist state."

Both Soroses sent Jayapal $6,600 in late June, the maximum amount an individual can give to a candidate in an election cycle, campaign finance disclosures reviewed by the Washington Free Beacon show. Just two weeks later, during a July 15 panel discussion, Jayapal assured Palestinian activists that she’s "been fighting to make it clear that Israel is a racist state." Dozens of Jayapal’s fellow Democrats condemned the comments as "dangerous and antisemitic."

George Soros, a Hungarian-born financier who has donated more than $18 billion to liberal causes, has centered much of his personal story on his flight from Nazi-occupied Budapest. But the left-wing billionaire is hardly a friend of the Jewish State, bankrolling a litany of anti-Israel nonprofits, including some that deny Israel’s right to exist as a sovereign nation. Soros has also likened the Jewish state’s behavior to that of Nazi Germany, arguing in a 2003 address that "victims" had become "victimizers," according to the Wall Street Journal.

Neither the Soroses nor Jayapal returned requests for comment.

Through their Open Society Foundations, the Soroses claim to champion "vibrant and inclusive democracies whose governments are accountable and open to the participation of all people." They do not include Israel in that definition, funding a host of anti-Israel groups and organizations including J Street.

Earlier this year, the Free Beacon found that the Open Society Foundations joined forces with J Street and other anti-Israel groups to lobby lawmakers to revive the Iran nuclear deal.
Rep. Paul Gosar promotes another antisemitic site that praises Hitler and denies the Holocaust
Rep. Paul Gosar yesterday used his House.gov newsletter to promote USSA News, a fringe site that has posted content calling the Holocaust “the Holohoax” and telling readers to “stand up for Hitler.” Gosar’s promotion of the antisemitic outlet comes just months after he sent followers to a different site that has also denied the Holocaust and praised Adolf Hitler.

Gosar has frequently promoted antisemitic media in recent years. He has met with Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes and repeatedly spoke at his conferences; and he’s promoted virulent antisemite Vincent James Foxx.

Gosar drew criticism in April after he used his newsletter to direct people to a story that praised him for attacking “Jewish warmongers” for their support of Ukraine. Gosar linked to Veterans Today, an antisemitic website that has called the Holocaust a “lie” and a “hoax” and praised Hitler as a “great man” and “a man of valor.” TPM reported in May that Gosar has employed an aide that's connected to Fuentes and the white nationalist movement.

In his July 23 newsletter, under the section “Gosar in the News and Other Must-Read Stories,” Gosar wrote: “USSA News: Biden White House Out To ‘Censor’ Press, ‘Silence’ Opponents, Lawmakers Charge” and sent readers to USSANews.com. Gosar was linking to the site even though the article is a repost of a piece from The Heritage Foundation publication The Daily Signal. (Elsewhere in the newsletter, Gosar writes that “there is zero room in our society for these vile, hateful and bigoted comments in the Halls of Congress” and “anti-Jewish and anti-Israel statements by members of Congress must be condemned.”) Gosar previously linked to USSA News on April 2 and August 7, 2022.

Gosar was sending readers to a site that has repeatedly posted content that denies the Holocaust and defends Hitler.
RFK Jr. Branded 'Antisemite of the Week' by Jewish Watchdog
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been branded "antisemite of the week" by the Jewish rights watchdog Stop Antisemitism.

The Democratic presidential candidate was given the moniker on Saturday, July 22, following the emergence of a video where he made the unfounded claim that COVID-19 was targeting specific ethnic groups.

In the July 15 video, obtained by the New York Post, Kennedy said "COVID-19 is targeted to attack Caucasians and Black people," and that those who were immune were Ashkenazi Jews, a Jewish ethnic group with its origins in parts of Europe, as well as people of Chinese origin.

Kennedy's comments were swiftly condemned by Jewish groups as well as members of his family who regarded them to be "deplorable."

A Kennedy spokesperson strongly denied he was anti-Semitic in a statement sent to Newsweek that read: "Mr. Kennedy did not say and does not mean to imply that the COVID-19 virus was targeted to spare Jews. That characterization of his remarks is a malicious and inflammatory smear. Mr. Kennedy is a staunch supporter of the state of Israel and the Jewish people. He categorically repudiates the disgusting conspiracy theory falsely attributed to him.

"Mr. Kennedy does not believe that COVID-19 was 'manufactured to target a specific ethnic group.' He was only using that example to illustrate that such a thing is possible, and should be prevented."


“From the river, to the sea” chant recited during annual London BDS walk
The chant of “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” was recited during London’s annual walk in support of the Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign on Saturday.

Volunteers from Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Demonstration and Event Monitoring Unit were present at the protest to gather evidence.

“From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” only makes sense as a call for the destruction of the world’s only Jewish state — and its replacement with a State of Palestine — and is thus an attempt to deny Jews, uniquely, the right to self-determination, which is a breach of the International Definition of Antisemitism.

While boycotting a country is neither illegal nor racist in and of itself, the problem with BDS is that it is no mere boycott. Supporters of BDS routinely engage the Definition by:
Setting political tests which Jews must pass, or face being treated as a pariah, especially by demanding that Jews renounce their cultural and religious ties to Israel, the physical centre of the Jewish religion, the world’s only Jewish state, and the country in which almost half of the world’s Jewish population lives;
Attempting to isolate and shame Israeli Jews, but not Israeli non-Jews, who do not support BDS when they visit Britain or come to study or teach at British universities;
Treating the entirety of the State of Israel as occupied land, and thereby asserting that the existence of the State of Israel is a racist endeavour;
Working with genocidal antisemitic terrorist organisations;
Claiming that Israeli policy is to deliberately kill babies, or harvest the vital organs of non-Jews, which revives ancient blood libels;
Attempting to portray Israeli Jews as having created a Nazi state in the model of Nazi Germany, and of ‘using’ the Holocaust as political cover for purported Jewish crimes;
Defending against claims of antisemitism by proposing that the allegations are a ruse used by Jewish victims, not to call out racism but to silence criticism of Israel;
Projecting antisemitic conspiracy myths about nefarious Jewish power onto the Jewish state.

The walk was organised by the group Friends of Al Aqsa (FOA).
Middle East Studies Association Expelled From George Washington University
The BDS-supporting, Israel-hating Middle East Studies Association (MESA), which since 2019 has been headquartered at the Washington, D.C., campus of the George Washington University (GW), needs a new home. It just got the boot.

In a very low-key, 33-word statement, Executive Director of Media Relations & University Spokesperson Josh Grossman verified what my sources have been telling me since May. He wrote in an email that: “GW and MESA agreed to enter into a four-year partnership that has run its course, and we are now parting ways amicably. The agreement will expire by the end of the calendar year.”

Like a Hollywood agent’s somber press release on behalf of his divorcing clients, this confirmation of GW’s “conscious uncoupling” from MESA is very different from the way it heralded their union.

From this August 22, 2019, press release announcing the new arrangement, few would deduce that the relationship was a temporary one: “The Middle East Studies Association of North America (MESA), one of the leading professional organizations for scholars and students of the Middle East, has signed a memo of understanding with the George Washington University to establish its headquarters at the Institute for Middle East Studies (IMES) in GW’s Elliott School of International Affairs.”

An equally enthusiastic article in the GW Hatchet on September 2, 2019, gushed that, “GW will provide a new home for [MESA’s] executive functions, elevating the University’s profile.” It quoted MESA’s president-elect, who said, “We are grateful for GWU for giving us the space and resources to establish our headquarters.”

The GW press release quoted IMES interim director Dr. William Youmans, who lavished praise on his new partner, claiming it is, “impossible to overstate how foundational MESA has been to the rise of the field of Middle East studies.” He called it, “a perfect match that should produce new opportunities for growth.” It turns out he was wrong.

Dr. Youmans should have known that the MESA of today is a sad remnant of the professional organization that it was at its founding in 1966. By the 1980s, as Martin Kramer wrote in “Ivory Towers on Sand” (2001), MESA had transformed the field of Middle East studies, and soon it, “rejected the idea of objective standards, disguised the vice of politicization as the virtue of commitment, and replaced proficiency with ideology.”


Are Extreme Anti-Israel Activists Representative of All American Jews? The Guardian Thinks So
It involves some serious mental gymnastics to take a rally in New York attended by some 500 people and pass it off as evidence that American Jewry has turned against Israel.

But alas, it’s The Guardian, where anything in the way of sloppy Israel-related journalism is possible and indeed, sometimes, inevitable.

In the article, ‘“We are winning”: Are US Jews who oppose Israeli settlements finally getting somewhere?‘, Guardian correspondent Chris McGreal invites readers to conclude that there has been a sea change among American Jews (and Americans in general) who no longer support the Jewish state on account of divisive issues such as settlement expansion in the West Bank and the mainstreaming of the apartheid libel.

Citing statistics from a 2021 poll conducted by the Jewish Electorate Institute that found 1 in 5 US Jews believe Israel is practicing some form of apartheid, McGreal can’t help editorializing when he surmises that some of this attitude shift has been “driven by social media and the wide circulation of videos such as Israeli assaults on Gaza and the West Bank, the large-scale forced removal of Palestinians from the South Hebron hills, and armed Jewish settlers rampaging through Palestinian towns.”

Where to start with this @guardian story?
Among the interviewees at the July 20 anti-settlement protest that McGreal portrays as representative of this supposedly huge collective of anti-Israel Jews is Rosalind Petchesky, a retired City University of New York professor “whose family fled anti-Jewish pogroms in Russia at the beginning of the 20th century.”

While McGreal takes great care to flesh out her Jewish credentials (The Guardian’s lazy way of giving her credibility), he carefully omits a rather important nugget of information about Petchesksy that readers might have found relevant: she is a longtime activist and chapter leader in Jewish Voice for Peace.
BBC News amplifies anonymous ‘collective punishment’ claim
So far, so good, although the question of why the EU sends an envoy to a territory controlled for the past 16 years by a terrorist organisation it designates apparently did not occur to Gritten. However he then goes on to erase from the picture the terrorism – including rocket attacks – which prompted Israel to declare the Gaza Strip hostile territory three months after that violent Hamas coup.
“Following the takeover, Israel and Egypt imposed a land, sea and air blockade on Gaza, restricting the movement of goods and people. The two countries say the blockade is for self-defence.”

Gritten’s failure to clarify that restrictions on the import of goods to the Gaza Strip applies only to those which fall under the category of dual-use goods that can be used for the purpose of terrorism allows him to promote the claim that the counter-terrorism measures alone are the reason for economic problems in the Gaza Strip, with no mention of the fact that Israel facilitates exports from the territory and issues work permits to thousands of its residents.
“However, the blockade has crippled Gaza’s economy and living conditions are dire.”

Gritten closes his report with amplification of claims from “human rights groups” which he fails to identify, meaning that readers cannot put any possible political motivations behind those claims into their appropriate perspective.
“Human rights groups say it constitutes a collective punishment imposed in clear violation of international humanitarian law.”

In short, David Gritten was able to promote unevidenced allegations from anonymous NGOs but not to inform his readers about the Palestinian terrorism that has indiscriminately targeted Israeli civilians for over two decades (as well as killing civilians in the Gaza Strip) but which obviously concerns the EU’s outgoing envoy far less than the blockade that it made necessary.
CTV News, Toronto Star, Globe & Mail, And La Presse Obfuscate The Truth About Palestinian Gunmen
The Times of Israel reported that “The military wing of the Hamas terror group later claimed responsibility for the attack, saying the slain gunmen were members.”

Watch the security footage at the entrance of Har Bracha showing the exchange of fire between the Palestinian gunmen and the Israeli soldiers.

For its part, the French newspaper La Presse took it a step further, by failing to disclose in its headline coverage that the three Palestinians who were killed by IDF soldiers were terrorist gunmen.

In a world where the majority of people read only the headlines, it’s imperative that Canadian news outlets strive not just for accuracy, but also work to produce reporting on controversial matters that doesn’t obfuscate what took place.

It’s without dispute that these Palestinian men were terrorist gunmen who initiated hostilities and were the aggressors, and as papers of record for Canadians across the country, these news organizations are duty-bound to make that abundantly clear in their headlines, so as to not mislead and cast doubt about the truth to their readers.


ADL and major Jewish groups in 7 countries team up to fight antisemitism together
Large Jewish organizations in seven countries outside of Israel have formed a task force to collaborate on fighting antisemitism.

The task force, nicknamed the “J7” and announced Tuesday, includes representatives from the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, Argentina and Australia.

According to multiple recent estimates, those countries have the largest populations of Jews outside of Israel, excluding Russia, which was not included in the task force. Israel will also not have an official representative on the task force, though many if not all of the participating groups see combating anti-Zionism as part of their mandate.

“Antisemitism is rising around the world, especially in countries where there are large Jewish populations,” Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, which is one of the group’s members, said in a statement. “And threats to our communities are not contained by continents and borders.”

The task force’s activities will include consultations between the member organizations’ leaders, as well as the formation of working groups to address a range of issues, including tech policy, education, security and extremism, among others. The groups plan to meet at an ADL conference next year, in addition to holding virtual meetings.

The task force is not the first time Jewish organizations and activists have coordinated across borders. Several groups — including the World Jewish Congress, the World Zionist Organization and the Jewish Agency for Israel — have offices and staff in countries around the world, promoting connections to Israel, Jewish education, advocacy against antisemitism or other causes.

And Jewish groups have been coming together across borders to fight antisemitism for at least two decades. As attacks against U.S. Jews have increased, some Jewish security specialists here have considered the approach of European Jewish security organizations as a model.
We must remember the Jews of the Alderney camps
This weekend we reported in the Observer that Lord Pickles, the UK Special Envoy on Post-Holocaust Issues, had ordered an official inquiry into wartime atrocities committed on the tiny Channel Island of Alderney. An international panel of experts will review evidence of the Holocaust on British soil and determine how many died.

80 years on from this dark chapter in British history, this inquiry is long overdue.

Beyond a small group of dedicated journalists, campaigners, and academics, how many in Britain knew that the SS ran two concentration camps on an island in the English Channel? How many knew that at least one transport of hundreds of French Jews arrived at Alderney from Drancy, the notorious Paris transit camp used to deport so many Jews to Auschwitz? Several thousand people were imprisoned on Alderney with the German camps operating under a system of “Vernichtung Durch Arbeit” (Extermination Through Labour), but what happened to them? Forensic archaeology has established there are mass graves on the island. But how many and who is buried there? And why was nobody prosecuted for war crimes committed after the Nazis were defeated?

These questions cry out for answers, but before now, the authorities appear to have been reluctant to scratch too deeply in case something truly disturbing was uncovered.

All those who died and suffered on Alderney deserve to be memorialised: Russians and Ukrainians and also the North Africans, Spanish Republicans and Jehovah’s Witnesses imprisoned by the Nazi occupiers.

But when the panel begins its deliberations, it will be crucial that the true extent of Jewish suffering on Alderney is finally examined.

The post-war picture of Alderney as simply a labour camp for the Soviet prisoners working on Hitler’s Atlantic wall has turned out to be a convenient over-simplification. Alderney must now be recognised beyond question as a site of the Holocaust and, quite possibly, Guernsey and Jersey too. Jewish representation on the expert panel will therefore be essential.


Following CAA action, popular graphic design app removes antisemitic “Happy Merchant” meme
Following action from Campaign Against Antisemitism, a popular app allowing people to design their own graphics has removed an antisemitic meme from its platform.

The “Happy Merchant” meme, also known as the “Smirking Merchant”, is believed to have been created in 2001 and depicts a Jewish man with heavily stereotyped facial features who is greedily rubbing his hands together. The image has become widely used online by white supremacists and antisemites.

The Art Lab app, which has over 100,000 downloads on Google Play, is branded as “a versatile free graphic design app,” with its website stating: “Art Lab makes photo & design editing amazingly simple and fun. Design everything you need quickly and effortlessly. Design posters and banners for social media marketing, Instagram story & highlight cover, logos, business cards, birthday invitations & wedding invites.”

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism said: “The antisemitic ‘Happy Merchant’ meme is often used by neo-Nazis and white supremacists. Such repugnant imagery has no place on an app like this. We understand that the owners of the Art Lab app were unaware of the graphic’s presence on its platform, and we commend them for their swift and decisive action to remove the image as soon as we brought it to their attention.”
African-American Christians seek to fulfill MLK’s dream in Israel
A delegation of 200 African-American Christian women met on Tuesday with leaders of the Knesset’s Christian Allies Caucus in Jerusalem, seeking to strengthen the ties of friendship with the Jewish people epitomized by the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The faith-based event, dubbed the “Women of the Bible” tour, which was organized by a U.S.-based evangelical organization, follows decades of fraught relations between America’s black and Jewish communities despite the historic bonds forged during the Civil Rights Movement.

“In these days when people are rewriting history and fake news is everywhere, it is important to remember our roots and mutual history of struggle and rising up together, which connects us,” said Knesset member Sharren Haskel, who co-chairs the cross-party caucus.

“We are fulfilling the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King to bring African Americans to Israel,” said Cathelean Steele, national project coordinator at the Atlanta-based Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an African-American civil-rights organization co-founded by King. “Our job is to bring us back together because of the history we share.”

The meeting was part of an eight-day educational tour of the Holy Land which seeks to connect African Americans with Israelis and the Jewish People, said Dr. Ruth Pauline Plummer, CEO of Covenant Daughters International Ministries, who initiated the event.

“The importance of the day is to continue the work that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his wife Coretta Scott King started in building the relationship between the Jewish People, the State of Israel and African Americans,” said Plummer.
Israel, Vietnam sign free-trade agreement
Economy Minister Nir Barkat and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Hong Dien signed a free trade deal on Tuesday, Israel’s second with an East Asian country after the Republic of Korea.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Vietnamese Deputy Premier Tran Luu Quang attended the ceremony in Jerusalem.

The agreement is “expected to lead to the reduction of reciprocal customs duties on both imported and exported products, alongside an improvement and easing in trade in a range of additional areas,” according to an Israeli statement.

It will also provide a “competitive advantage and ease activity for Israeli exporters in the developing and growing Vietnamese market, thereby strengthening Israeli exports and increasing growth in the economy.”

“We’ve had excellent relations over the past few decades, but this is an important turning point,” said Netanyahu. “We are formally signing an agreement that will expand our trade, which is robust, to be even more robust. I look forward to increasing our ties with innovation, with all the areas that can better the lives of both our peoples.

“Vietnam is a vibrant, growing economy. Israel is a vibrant, growing economy. And our cooperation I think creates new horizons that will make us more successful together in the future,” he added.

Following the signing, Netanyahu and Quang held a meeting marking 30 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
French Defense Firm ‘Thaler’ Acquires Israel’s ‘Imperva’ Cyber Company for $3.6 Billion
French defense firm ‘Thaler’ acquired Israel’s ‘Imperva’ cyber company this week.

Imperva, founded in 2002, protects websites, software interfaces (API), databases and cloud applications. It is one of Israel’s oldest cyber firms.

The company was sold at a value of $3.6 billion by owner Thoma Bravo.

A statement by Thaler said the acquisition is expected to lead to an increase in profits and will add some $500 million to the company’s annual revenues.

“The acquisition of Imperva marks an important milestone in Thales’ cyber security strategy,” said CEO and company chairperson Patrice Kane.

Imperva was listed in the New York Stock Exchange in 2011 and subsequently sold in 2018, at a value of $2.1 billion, to the Thoma Bravo private equity fund.
Real Madrid opens Jerusalem soccer clinic
Spanish superclub Real Madrid opened its youth training camp in Jerusalem on Monday, welcoming teenage soccer players from Israel, Morocco, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority.

The children of personnel at foreign missions in Israel will also participate.

The third edition of the training clinic, held at the initiative of Israel’s Ministry of Regional Cooperation, will allow more than 450 children to benefit from the advanced training methods of one of the biggest soccer clubs in the world while at the same time helping to connect cultures and nations.

The camp will be held at the training grounds in Jerusalem’s Katmonim and Sheikh Jarrah neighborhoods and will run through August 18. The focus will be on developing skills and playing abilities, alongside the implementation of advanced training methods to stimulate and motivate the children, instilling common values and forming and creating a common language through sports.

This year too, Real Madrid’s people will follow the outstanding talents, who may get an opportunity to continue developing within the club’s training infrastructure.
Noa Kirel joins Hollywood actor Noah Schnapp on an Israeli adventure
Hollywood actor Noah Schnapp's visit to Israel has been nothing short of eventful. From partying in Tel Aviv to a serene trip to the Dead Sea, he's been fully embracing the Israeli culture.

His journey took a special turn as he connected with Israeli stars Noa Kirel and Yehonatan Mergui.

After putting on tefillin at the Western Wall, enjoying sunny days at Tel Aviv's beaches, and dancing the nights away at numerous parties, Schnapp found time to spend with Kirel. The two talented artists sang and danced together, delighting fans with the song that brought Israel third place in Eurovision - "Unicorn."

Moreover, Schnapp seems to have developed an appreciation for Kirel's ex, Yehonatan Mergui, and his song "Sucks to Know You." He shared videos of the song on TikTok, providing a substantial PR boost to the singer. With a staggering 32.7 million followers on TikTok alone, Schnapp's endorsement is expected to propel Mergui's career internationally.

What reactions did Noah Schnapp get online?
As with many celebrities, Noah faced some hateful comments from anti-Israel critics on social media. However, he remains undeterred. Despite encountering detractors, Noah appears content to be in Israel, experiencing the country's vibrant atmosphere.
First pictures of Nicholas Winton film with Anthony Hopkins as 'British Schindler'
The moment Nicholas Winton comes face to face with just a few of the Jewish children he saved from the Nazis on That’s Life, in 1988, is one of the most iconic clips in British television history.

Now the first photographs from an eagerly awaited film about the story leading up to that moment have been released.

Starring Anthony Hopkins and Johnny Flynn as older and younger versions of Winton, the man who saved 669 Jewish children from the Nazis through the Kindertransport project, and Helena Bonham Carter as his mother Babi, One Life will cement the Jewish stockbroker’s reputation as one of the heroes of the war effort.

Billed as the ‘British Schindler’, the descendants of the Jewish children he saved are believed to number as high as 6000.

His story, which first came to light in the late 80s has discovered a new audience in recent years thanks to a YouTube clip showing That’s Life host Esther Rantzen asking, “Is there anyone in our audience who owed their life to Nicholas Winton? If so could you stand up please?” Before everyone around him takes to their feet..

The stockbroker had been on his way to a skiing holiday when a friend, Martin Blake, called him from Prague in December 1938 and asked for his help to get Jewish refugees out of the country.

Winton became a key member of the Kindertransport story – eventually giving up his job to help in the effort to get desperate Jews out of occupied Europe - but, as the film shows, he was always wracked with guilt about those he couldn’t save.

The film is based on the book ‘If It’s Not Impossible…The Life of Sir Nicholas Winton’ by his daughter Barbara and the title is paraphrased from the line in the Talmud which says, “Whoever saves one life, saves the world entire.”


Google Doodle honors Egyptian doctor who saved Jews in the Holocaust
The new Google Doodle shared by the search engine giant on July 25, 2023, marks the 122nd birthday of Dr. Mohammed Helmy, an Egyptian-German doctor who helped save Jews during the Holocaust and who was the first Arab recognized by Yad Vashem as a Righteous Among the Nations.

The doodle itself was made by Berlin-based Israeli artist Noa Snir and focuses on the duality of Helmy's background and his open-hearted generosity.

The art depicts a cartoon of Helmy in the center, clad in a white lab coat with the Google logo spelled out on the center. His arms are outstretched as if in an embrace, while people are seen either squatting or on their knees before him as he looks with a smile.

On the left side of the background is an image of the sun, sand dunes, and a palm tree, meant to symbolize his Egyptian heritage. The right side of the background features a more Europena-style building, symbolizing his life in Germany.

"My first thoughts were actually concerns - how to correctly convey Helmy's story without focusing too much on the difficult times he operated in," Snir said in a statement regarding her art. "I thought the hint of war should exist in the doodle, but it should still communicate hope and strength. I hope I succeeded in doing that." The grave of Dr. Mohammed Helmy is seen in Germany. (credit: Wikimedia Commons)


Scholars uncover censored Hebrew texts in Vatican collection
In the heart of the Vatican, where ancient corridors echo with centuries of history, an extraordinary gathering took place last week. A group of over 20 Christian and Jewish clergy and scholars from around the world had come together for a once-in-a-lifetime experience – a captivating journey through time, delving into the treasures of the Vatican's Hebrew manuscript collection.

Rabbi Prof. David Golinkin, President of The Schechter Institutes, and Dr. Adolfo Roitman, the renowned Curator of the Dead Sea Scrolls, stood as the esteemed Israeli representatives, eagerly joining the seminar celebrating 30 years of diplomatic relations between the Holy See and the State of Israel.

With a sense of awe, the participants immersed themselves in a remarkable experience, exploring Hebrew manuscripts that date back to the 10th century. This ecumenical and academic conference, co-sponsored by the Vatican Library and Argentina’s Seminario Rabinico Latinoamericano (The Latin American Rabbinical Seminary of the Conservative Movement), became a momentous occasion for interreligious dialogue and the discovery of shared cultural heritage.

Golinkin, a distinguished expert in Talmud, Midrash, and Jewish law, eagerly unveiled the significance of the Vatican Library's Hebrew manuscript collection. "The Vatican Library holds a rich and varied collection of over 800 Hebrew manuscripts, including extremely old and rare manuscripts of the Talmud Yerushalmi, Sifra on Leviticus," he shared with The Jerusalem Post upon returning to Israel this week.

The intrigue deepened as Golinkin took the participants on a captivating journey through time, shedding light on Christian censorship of printed versions of the Talmud and other Jewish books. With a thought-provoking gaze, he asked, "Why was the Catholic Church so afraid of the Talmud?
Half-shekel coin from revolt against Romans 2 millennia ago uncovered in desert cave
While on the search for more Dead Sea Scrolls, inspectors surveying Israel’s desert caves recently discovered a rare half-shekel coin from 66 or 67 CE, the first year of the Jewish Revolt against the Romans. The currency was part of an underground Jewish economy during the rebellion’s four years, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced on Tuesday.

The coin was engraved with the words “Holy Jerusalem,” using ancient Hebrew script rather than the vernacular Greek of the time, in a defiant nod to their Jewish identity and the decision to mint the coins autonomously, explained Yaniv David Levy, a numismatic scholar with the Israel Antiquities Authority.

“For almost 200 years, people made the pilgrimage by foot and used silver coins for paying a tax called the ‘half-shekel tax,’” said Levy. “And apparently these coins were used for tax in the Temple and also the internal economy during the revolt.”

The decision to autonomously mint coins during the rebellion was a political statement and an expression of national identity, the IAA said. At the time, the authority to mint coins was held only by the Roman emperor, and almost always featured the image of the ruling emperor and animals.

The coins minted by the Jewish rebels bear a depiction of three pomegranates. The other side of the coin features a chalice, similar to what could have been used by the priests in the Holy Temple, the words “half-shekel,” and the letter aleph, denoting the first year of the revolt against the Romans.

“Apparently there was a rebel who roamed the desert cliffs, and he dropped the precious shekel treasure, and luckily we were able to find it 2,000 years later and bring it back to the public,” said Hagay Hamer, an archaeologist with the IAA’s Judean Desert Survey. “There are people who preserve the custom [of paying a half-shekel of taxes to the Temple] until this day and fulfill it as a mitzvah,” or commandment.




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