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Saturday, November 04, 2023

11/04 Links: Howard Jacobson: We ask ourselves how ordinary Germans could stand idly. Today, we must ask: How can so many stand idly by and applaud?

From Ian:

Howard Jacobson: We ask ourselves how ordinary Germans could stand idly. Today, we must ask: How can so many stand idly by and applaud?
The question frequently asked of German civilians in the 1940s — how could you stand idly by and do nothing? — seems barely more than a casual enquiry compared to what we must ask today: how can you stand idly by and applaud?

Not that the academic community that led the cheering for the October 7 massacre has been exactly idle when it comes to fomenting anti-Zionist propaganda. At the forefront of every march and every motion to boycott and divest, tireless in its propagation of lies and half-truths, tolerant only of those who tell the tale they tell, British and American universities have, for the past 20 years or more, been making a mockery of the cherished belief that they exist to question and argue.

That a perfect storm of anti-Semitism has been brewing on university campuses is no secret. Many British Jewish school-leavers choose the best university to go to not by academic reputation but how much anti-Zionist abuse they are likely to encounter.

Ask why the Palestinian case has been taken up with such zest by our universities and the answer will be partly economic — almost as many Muslims pay to study at British universities as there are Jews in the entire population of the United Kingdom — and partly ideological.

It should matter to all of us, and not just Jews, that our tertiary institutions have grown so obsessed with 'colonisers' and the 'colonised' that empire has become the template against which almost every historical event is measured.

As evidenced by Jeremy Corbyn's monosyllabic remarks about Zionism, one needs to know nothing about history to be sure that the founding of Israel was a colonial enterprise.

Question that and you will be accused, as happened to Jewish students at the University of Bristol recently, of being in the pay of the Israeli government.

In fact, nothing could be more laughable than the idea that the first desperate Jews who came limping from the pogroms of Europe, after the Balfour Declaration of 1917 gave its support for 'a national home for the Jewish people' in Palestine, were colonisers or empire builders. Jews had been returning to their homeland for centuries, looking for nothing but a place of peace, spiritual renewal and safety.

Yes, things changed in the succeeding years, but Palestinian intransigence in the matter of sharing the country played a part in hardening Israel's resolve.

This, however, you will not be taught in whichever course preaching the evils of white supremacy you enrol.

And so — despite the academic cheers for Hamas — the bombs fall on Gaza and our hearts break. Is it anti-Semitic to wish Israel could find some other, more subtle and humane way of destroying Hamas?

No. But it is anti-Semitic to rush to false judgments about Israel's actions and intentions, to blame them for what they do not do and to refuse to understand the existential fears that drive their actions. And it most decidedly is anti-Semitic to say: 'There you are — didn't we tell you that Jews love killing babies.'

This might be the most diabolic anti-Semitic trick of all — reactivating the blood libel that has killed millions of Jews so far, and still counting.
Who Are We Now?
Israel’s post-October 7th identity crisis

In the first days, we were overwhelmed with grief. Inconsolable, refusing to believe and already lamenting the death of so many. We hear the stories and mourn bitterly for people we did not know. We stand in long lines and give blood. We donate our money to soldiers, evacuees, the wounded, giving and giving like there is no tomorrow. Our nights are sleepless. Anxious about the fate of the hostages, more and more faces, more and more names, dozens of them babies and kindergarten children. With each passing day, the grip tightens, crushing us more and more.

And from the funeral processions and the visits of condolence, we move on to the collection and volunteer stations, offering to help, otherwise we will go mad with helplessness (this blanket, who will be covered by it? Who will keep warm with this coat?), and a strange feeling of closeness also arises there, in the huge makeshift kitchens and the civic initiatives that help wherever they can, shoulder to shoulder, we harness ourselves and cooperate, efficient, energetic, as one, as if we had been doing this forever.

And in the middle of it all, autumn arrives. The air is sweet and the light soft and milky, as if European. And our city, Tel Aviv, which in the last two years has become unbearable with its endless construction sites, drilling and digging everywhere, long, agitated traffic jams, is suddenly different. Beautiful and paralyzed. Its streets are empty and its roads are quiet, and in the few places that are open the people are hunched over and dazed, careful with their words. Such a small country, and everyone knew someone, and at the edge of every breath a sob quivers.

It has been 24 days since the catastrophe hit, and those first 24 hours repeat themselves over and over again, as if in a loop. Like the sugar-stricken children running in the hotel, we all go round and round in circles, round the sorrow and the rage and the worry about what’s to come, round the regret. 24 days of screaming and crying, how oblivious we were, how stupid.

We are crushed. Our sun shines, but a terrible sense of forsakenness hangs in the air. The concepts of time, the race of life, duties, habits and pleasures, everything is broken. For we are now at war. Our enemy has revealed itself to be indescribably cruel and brutal, and he has also set a contemptible trap for us: above all those innocent Palestinians Hamas uses as its human shield, now in Gaza there are over two hundred Israelis (among them dozens of young kids and babies, for crying out loud!) - what will become of them?

Everything here is pale and silent, and we are gripped by a fear of this war, and at the same time convinced that it is just, inconsolable and resolute, every last one. And in this, too, we are strangers to ourselves: we Israelis, who almost never agree on anything, are suddenly so united. Woe to us, for this has happened to us.
Robert Satloff and Dennis Ross: The Battle for Public Opinion
Under pressure from massive street protests, leaders on both sides of the Atlantic have already slid back from the staunch support they promised Israel in the immediate aftermath of the carnage of Oct. 7. In just three weeks, that spirit of solidarity has increasingly given way to calls for a ceasefire. Israel will resist such calls, since a ceasefire would leave Hamas in control of Gaza, certain to rebuild and rearm, readying itself to launch future attacks.

To be sure, much of this reflects the double-standard to which Israel has long been subjected. When thousands of Afghan or Iraqi civilians died in America's legitimate campaigns against al-Qaeda and other jihadist groups, it was called an unfortunate consequence of war. Yet Israel is accused of genocide.

As this war unfolds, we urge Israel to focus on three themes that, if repeated every day, would improve Israel's information campaign. First, Israel should remind the world what this war is not about. Israel should declare it has no plan, desire or goal to occupy Gaza or to evict Palestinians from Gaza.

Second, Israel should make clearer the distinction between Hamas and the Palestinian people. Yes, Hamas earned a plurality of votes in a legislative election 17 years ago when it ran on an anticorruption, good governance platform. But it came to power in Gaza the following year through a bloody, violent coup, not by the democratic choice of local Palestinians. Hamas commands the loyalty of a small minority of Gaza's population.

Third, Israel should continually emphasize that it is committed to fighting Hamas with the minimum possible civilian casualties, while trying to meet the humanitarian needs of the civilians it has urged to move out of harm's way to southern Gaza. For the antisemites of this world, none of this will matter. But the goal is to win the hearts and minds of millions who need a reason to give Israel the benefit of the doubt.


Israel's Victory over Hamas Would Reduce Innocent Deaths in Israel and Gaza
Critics of Israel have it backward. Those concerned about human rights and those seeking peace should be rooting for Israel's full-scale destruction of Hamas - however long it takes or bloody it becomes. It's the only path to more human rights and more peace for both Israelis and Palestinians.

On human rights, Israelis deserve to live without fear of rocket attack, infiltration, and slaughter from across their border. Gaza's Palestinians also deserve peace as well as the prospect of a better life - both of which remain elusive because they live under Hamas.

Hamas, the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood movement, seized control of Gaza from the Palestinian Authority in a violent coup in 2007 and has ruled it since with an iron fist. It allows no elections; permits no free press; arrests, beats, and tortures its critics; and murders those suspected of collaborating, or seeking peace, with Israel. Over the last 16 years, Hamas has instigated multiple wars with Israel by launching thousands of rockets or attacking the Jewish state in other ways.

Nothing would reduce innocent deaths in Israel and Gaza more than Israel's total victory over Hamas. This would also send a strong signal to Iran, which has provided hundreds of millions of dollars as well as weapons and military training for the group since the 1990s.
Alan Dershowitz: Civilians Pay a Price When Their Country Attacks Another Country
Hamas death tolls hide the relevant truth: How many of those killed by Israeli fire are really totally innocent civilians? How many were active Hamas terrorists? How many were vocal supporters of Hamas terrorism?

How many 14-, 15-, 16- and 17-year-olds, who Hamas counts as "children," were in fact combatants or accessories? How many women were Hamas accessories? How many were killed by misfiring terrorist rockets?

A common mantra is that Israel is at war only with Hamas, not with the Palestinian people of Gaza. That ignores the reality that many, perhaps most, of the Palestinian people of Gaza support the brutal tactics of Hamas.

Israel is at war with Hamas, which controls Gaza politically and militarily. It is comparable to when America was at war with Germany and Japan in the 1940s. Civilians pay a price when their country attacks another country, as Hamas attacked Israel.

Even when it is only a group within a country, such as al-Qaeda or ISIS, civilians die, as many did in Afghanistan and Iraq when the U.S. battled terrorists thousands of miles away from our homeland. Israel is fighting mass murderers just across its borders.

Every genuine civilian and young child that is killed is a tragedy, but these tragedies are entirely the fault and responsibility of Hamas. When Hamas decided to invade Israel and murder and kidnap its civilians, it knew that Israel would have to respond militarily and that Palestinian civilians would inevitably become collateral victims.
Col. Richard Kemp: Task to Get Hostages Out of Gaza Is Herculean, but IDF Stands Highest Chance of Success

‘Sinwar sealed Hamas’s fate; a mistake by Nasrallah will do the same to Lebanon’

A Report from IDF Headquarters near Gaza
The rear headquarters of every division and brigade operating in enemy territory is located on the Israeli side of the border. In every such headquarters is a group of staff officers, most of them veteran reservists.

Many of them had mobilized on their own initiative on Oct. 7 without waiting for the call-up.

Regular units are taking part in the war in Gaza alongside units that are wholly comprised of reservists.

In all units more than 100% of soldiers reported for duty, including veterans who have long ceased to serve actively who asked to get back in uniform.

Part of the problem of a lack of equipment in the war's first days was due to the unexpectedly large number of soldiers.

The intelligence information that reaches them is very detailed, based in part on interrogating Hamas men who were captured in Israel in the first battles three weeks ago. Some 200 terrorists are held by Israel.


New Target Detection Capabilities Ease Advance of IDF Ground Forces
In recent days, a Hamas anti-tank missile squad prepared to launch a Kornet missile from its hiding place at an IDF ground force.

An IDF Intelligence Corps sensor detected the Hamas cell at a crucial moment. Within six minutes, additional intelligence resources locked in on the terrorist cell and a nearby fighter jet was tasked with the mission.

Armed with precise coordinates, the jet launched a missile that accurately hit and eliminated the target.

The Military Intelligence Target Directorate, created four years ago, entered the recent conflict with several thousand identified targets in Gaza.

Since then, the directorate has tripled its list, striking over 12,000 targets and producing 150 new targets per day.

The efforts of the Target Directorate allowed ground forces to advance toward their objectives with minimal resistance thanks to swift detection and aerial bombardment of Hamas positions and the effective targeting of booby-trapped sites and firing posts.


IDF says Hamas attacked troops as they opened Gaza evacuation corridor for civilians

Video reportedly shows Gaza residents gunned down in streets by Hamas

US deploys spy planes over the Gaza Strip to hunt for Hamas-held American hostages - as the Pentagon calls for 'significant pause' in the bloodshed so captives can be set free

Report: Israel Stops ‘Humanitarian’ Truck Smuggling Equipment for Hamas

Hamas tried to send fighters to Egypt in ambulances for wounded Gazans — US official

Andrew Neil: The UN attacks Israel for being attacked and is hostile to it at every turn. It’s become a laughing stock

China Takes Control of Paralyzed U.N. Security Council, Declaring Pro-Hamas ‘Ceasefire’ a ‘Top Priority’

Bill Maher Explains Once Again Why Liberals Are Idiots for Siding With Hamas

Antisemitism on the Rise | Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO)
Ian Bremmer and Fareed Zakaria discuss the recent upsurge of antisemitism among the youth with Bill Maher on Real Time.




Ben Shapiro: The Islamophobia Lie
In the wake of the worst slaughter of Jews and anti-Semitic increase since World War II, the White House rushes to fight…Islamophobia; Hezbollah terror leader Hassan Nasrallah warns that the powerfully-armed Iranian proxy may join the war on Israel; and the media continue to provide cover for Hamas.


The Israel Guys: 165 Nations Want the DEATH of the State of ISRAEL, God Help Us All...
This is wild. 165 nations have now made it clear they want the death of the state of Israel. How do they justify this? Where does this leave our world standing before God?


Why The Middle East Won’t Accept Palestinian Refugees
Despite having a border with Gaza, Egypt is current building an even bigger border wall and refuses to accept any Palestinian refugees. Here’s why.


Call Me Back PodCast: BIDEN: “Don’t!” / NASRALLAH: “I hear you.” – emergency episode with Dr. Matthew Levitt
Hosted by Dan Senor
We just had a conversation with Dr. Matthew Levitt, an expert on Hassan Nasrallah and Hezbollah, getting his immediate reaction and analysis on Nasrallah’s first public address since the October 7 War.

Matt is the director of the Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. He served as deputy assistant secretary for intelligence and analysis at the U.S. Department of the Treasury. During his tenure at Treasury, he played a central role in efforts to protect the U.S. financial system from abuse and to deny terrorists, weapons proliferators, and other rogue actors the ability to finance threats to U.S. national security. He later served as a counterterrorism advisor to the special envoy for Middle East regional security.

Previously, Matt was a counterterrorism intelligence analyst at the FBI, where he provided tactical and strategic analytical support for counterterrorism operations, focusing on fundraising and logistical support networks for Middle Eastern terrorist groups. He is the author of several books and monographs, including Hamas: Politics, Charity and Terrorism in the Service of Jihad (Yale University Press, 2006), Negotiating Under Fire: Preserving Peace Talks in the Face of Terror Attacks (Rowman & Littlefield, 2008), and Hezbollah: The Global Footprint of Lebanon’s Party of God (Georgetown University Press, 2013). He is the host of the podcast series, Breaking Hezbollah’s Golden Rule.


Megyn Kelly: Hunter Biden Tries to Play the Victim, and The Squad's Israel Lies, with Adam Carolla
Megyn Kelly is joined by Adam Carolla, host of The Adam Carolla Show, to discuss Hunter Biden trying to play the victim about his addiction and media coverage, “Squad” Democrats lying about the Israel-Hamas war, and more.


Rubin Report: Free Palestine Protest Turns Violent as Protesters Turn on Cops

John Anderson: Israel & Palestine | The War Against Hamas | Peter Hitchens
In this conversation, John sits down with journalist and author Peter Hitchens to discuss the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. This conversation was filmed on the 26th of October.

While Hitchens labels himself as 'pro-Israel' he argues against their current course of action as both politically and militarily disastrous. He also contends that being anti-Zionist does not equate to being anti-Semitic. Moreover, Hitchens is a self-proclaimed 'free speech absolutist' which he discusses in the context of anti-Semitic speech and the ongoing political challenges facing Britain.

Hitchens currently writes for The Mail on Sunday and has contributed to numerous other newspaper outlets. He has published various books, including The Abolition of Britain, The Rage Against God, The War We Never Fought, The Phoney Victory, and his most recent book, A Revolution Betrayed: How Egalitarians Wrecked the British Education System.

00:00 Intro
00:27 Introducing Peter Hitchens
00:58 Why a two-state solution wouldn't work
4:55 Why do some Palestinians support Hamas?
7:04 'It is absurd to think you can get rid of Hamas'
9:00 'You can't destroy an idea using physical force'
12:01 Does being anti-Israel equal anti-Semitic?
13:32 The unashamed anti-Semites
16:06 Why freedom of speech matters
19:06 Israel's survival depends on the West
22:00 What happens next in the Middle East?
24:55 What if Iran becomes a nuclear power?
26:42 You can support Israel and still criticise them
30:00 The world is in a state of 'permacrisis'
33:20 The infamous 'Rivers of Blood' speech
35:45 Extremism breeds extremism
37:25 The problem of immigration in the UK
38:50 France's migrant problem
41:30 'There is nothing to hope for'
46:50 The West is in a worse position than before WW2
48:28 'The New World'




State Department Employee Accuses President Biden of Being Complicit in Israel's Genocide

Biden Judicial Nominee Says He 'Hasn't Studied' Enough To Condemn Hamas

Jews are 'fleeing the West to go to the war zone for safety': Avi Yemini on rising antisemitism
Avi Yemini joins Ezra Levant, telling him how during his visit to London, England, he's heard stories from local Jews who say they are "fleeing the West to go to the war zone for safety" after numerous massive rallies supporting Hamas and calling for the destruction of Israel.


Kamala Harris’ stepdaughter Ella Emhoff is promoting an $8M Gaza fundraising campaign: ‘Abhorrent’

Pro-Palestinian protest sponsors have raked in $9M in NYC taxpayer funds

Pro-Israel pol arrested over gun at NYC rally bought weapon after death threats, stalkers

Are Progressives in Favor of an Islamist Theocracy, or Just Ignorant?

VIDEO: Fans Leaving World Series in Phoenix Blast Pro-Hamas Protesters: ‘Killing Kids… that’s what You’re for!’

Protesters hold up banner of Hamas bulldozer with the slogan 'From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free' as Met make first arrests in pro-Palestinian 'Day of Action' with thousands demonstrating in London and at 40 marches across country

Furious pro-Palestine protestors chanting 'cowards' clash with cops in Oakland as they attempt to block US ship 'sending military weapons to Israel'

'They are good girls!' Father of NYC sisters caught tearing down Jewish hostage posters while yelling ‘f*** Israel’ DEFENDS them - as he claims it's not about religion but about 'land, power and who can control'

Police prepare for pro-Palestinian 'Day of Action': Thousands due at massive London demo with 40 marches planned across the country after five were arrested at banned King's Cross station sit-in

Gary Lineker criticises Suella Braverman for branding a planned Pro-Palestinian demo on Armistice Day as a 'hate march'

Gary Lineker is under fire for 'ill-informed drivel' after BBC presenter criticised ministers who urged Met Police to ban pro-Palestinian march

Israeli flags burned near Malmö Sweden synagogue on Saturday

Met police step up hunt for third paraglider protester after charging two women for wearing pictures showing support for Hamas

Jeff Bezos Under Pressure to Remove Pro-Palestinian Merchandise From Amazon

Corrie star Maureen Lipman, 77, is flanked by a bodyguard on set after revealing bosses offered her security amid rising anti-Jewish hate

The Palestinian Refugee Problem Explained (Nakba and the false Arab narrative)
0:00 - Intro
1:00 - Deir Yassin intro
8:20 - The Partition plan
10: 55 - Plan D
14:10 - Deir Yassin
18:08 - The Battle of Haifa
20:35 - The Arab armies invaded Israel
21:09 - Palestinian refugees
23:00 - zoom out




Ayn Rand Institute: Did Israel Steal Palestinian Land?
In this episode of New Ideal Live, Elan Journo and Nikos Sotirakopoulos challenge the misleading narrative of the shrinking Palestinian lands and the claim that Israel has allegedly stolen them. They explore the history of how the Israeli territories were lawfully acquired, the Palestinians’ repeated failures to form an enduring, peaceful state, and the broader philosophical questions of what moral premises are necessary to validate any claim to statehood.

Among the topics covered:
● The dishonest narrative of the “shrinking Palestine” maps;
● The documented history of how individuals acquired the land through trade;
● The Arab rejection of the two-state UN partition plan;
● How the very idea of a partition plan ignored the moral dimension of the Palestinian claim for statehood;
● Why the issue is not fundamentally about land but the type of society being established;
● How Israel ended up occupying the West Bank, Gaza, and the Golan Heights;
● How the flawed “land for peace” policy exposed the impossibility of a peaceful Palestinian state;
● The fact that the Palestinians' goal has never been to build a free, prosperous society.


Israel slams Turkey for recalling envoy, ‘siding with Hamas’

MEMRI: Grand Mufti Of Australia Ibrahim Abu Muhammad In Facebook Post Following October 7 Hamas Attack On Israel: 'The Blood Of The Martyrs Will Smell Of Musk Because His Will Never Breaks And His Resolve Never Falls'; Israel Is 'Driven By A Religious Myth About The Promised Land'; The World Must Reject Israel's 'Rewriting Of History'

From Guardian to Coward: The Journey of Chuck Schumer

The Hamas Wing of the Democrat Party Now Numbers 45

Anti-Israel 'Squad' members Ilhan Omar, Cori Bush face challenge

Reid Hoffman-backed PAC may fund primary campaign against progressives Rashida Tlaib, Cori Bush

Rashida Tlaib Gaslights on ‘From the River to the Sea,’ Gruesome Nova Festival Footage Proves She’s Lying

French Jewish Woman Stabbed At Her Home in Lyon, Swastika Daubed on Front Door

German Soccer Team Drops Star Forward over ‘River to the Sea’ Anti-Israel Post

Could this disgraced mayor take thirty seats from Labour? As Sir Keir's party implodes on Gaza, breakaway leader is eyeing constituencies with large numbers of Muslim voters Palestine Charity CEO Trying for Labour Candidacy
Portugal slams Palestinian envoy: 'You shouldn't have started the war'

Nasrallah Speech Analysis

Saudi prince on Nasrallah's speech: Axis of Resistance is a big lie

Hezbollah leader vows to make America 'pay' and keep attacking troops in chilling warning: Terror group's chief says he is 'ready' to face fleet of warships and blames the US for the Gaza war

‘Death to Israel, death to America’: Iran marks anniversary of 1979 embassy takeover

What's behind the sharp rise in U.S. antisemitism

Southern Poverty Law Center Spokesman Signed Letter Blaming Israel For Hamas Terrorism

Double Standards at Princeton

The Real Goal of BDS Threatens Every Jew on the Planet

Georgetown Places Staff Member on Leave After Anti-Semitic Posts Revealed

'Big Apple' pre-K teacher pushes anti-Israel lessons for kids

Jews Are Turning to Fox News for the First Time

Jewish artists anger at antisemitism revealed in open letter
Hundreds of Jewish performers, writers and academics have signed an open letter condemning their industries for their response to the Hamas massacre of Israelis.

The letter accuses some of their peers of inflaming antisemitism in Australia and around the world.

Expressions of shock and dismay at the lack of empathy shown to Jews by their peers following the October 7th Massacre are also present in the letter.

Author Lee Koffman told Sky News Australia artists feel the industry around them “has not supported them enough at all.”

A segment from the not yet released letter reads “This failure to acknowledge the October 7 attack as terrorism inflames further the already volatile climate of rapidly escalating antisemitism in Australia and around the world.”


Mom for Liberty who banned Anne Frank graphic novel appears on antisemitic livestream





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