Lebanese condemn a book about Chanukah that was distributed in a Christian school. Nah, nothing antisemitic here.

Al Akhbar reports:

A picture of a booklet titled “Hanukkah” was circulated on social media, distributed by UNIFIL forces to the students of Our Lady of the Annunciation School in Rmeish, south Lebanon, on the occasion of Christmas. .

Indeed, it is stated in the pamphlet that Al-Akhbar reviewed, under the title Facts, that “thousands of years ago the Jewish people lived in a land called Judea (now Israel) and there were rulers who were not kind and respectful to the Jewish people... In about 165 BC, The king of Syria destroyed the temple of the Jewish people in Jerusalem, although he knew that this building was the cradle of the Jewish people, and he was deliberately trying to disturb them and make them feel despair.

According to an informed source in the town, “the Irish battalion distributed it,” describing the matter as “very dangerous, because it comes in the context of attempts to normalize relations with the occupying enemy, and it includes a denial of the right of the Palestinian people to their land, and it is a kind of introductory cultural normalization because it was distributed to students.”

A source in the school administration, who refused to reveal his name, ... reduced the seriousness of what these books contained, stressing that he burned them or what was left of them, “to avoid any problem.” 

The story of Chanukah  is a serious danger to Palestinians because it proves that Jews lived there first and that the Temple existed. 

Better to burn it than to expose children to a story about fighting for religious freedom!

In case you don't think that Lebanon is institutionally antisemitic, the earliest tweet about this story I could find was from Mays al Jabal News, which was aghast that the book "talks about the Jews, and asks the student at the end to color elements symbolizing the Jews!"

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Arab media says Yom Kippur curfew in Israel is meant to punish Arabs

Al-Akhbar says that Palestinians have to atone for Jewish sins on Yom Kippur, because the entire country virtually shuts down.

It claims that even in Arab cities, "it is prohibited to drive vehicles or motorbikes, smoke shisha, grill meat, and operate loudspeakers throughout the city.”  

To Israel haters, Yom Kippur is all a malicious excuse to punish Arabs. "The enemy authorities do not miss the tenth day of the Hebrew year without tightening their noose around the Palestinians; On this occasion, it deliberately subjects their areas to a state of curfew, as well as imposing restrictions on their daily habits, such as the prohibition of barbecue or smoking water pipes in public, even preventing them from practicing their jobs, professions and jobs."

This appears to be a lie. In mixed Jewish-Arab cities there is a voluntary curfew but there is no legal restrictions on driving, as far as I can tell. And, as the New York Times reports: "In Arab-majority cities, life continues almost as normal." But it does appear that some restrictions were placed on the old city at Acre. 

Here is a photo in that NYT article of an outdoor restaurant open in Israel on Yom Kippur.

Most bizarrely, Al Akhbar makes the claim that on Ramadan, "can anyone imagine a situation in which Muslims prevent Jews from eating and drinking out of respect for their feelings, or to close their restaurants to prevent violating the sanctity of the holy month?! Of course not!"

But in fact in most Muslim majority countries those are exactly the restrictions that non-Muslims have to adhere to during the entire month! The Egyptian government religious authority ruled in 2016, "Eating publicly during the day in Ramadan is not within the personal freedoms of a person. It's a type of anarchy and an attack on the sacredness of Islam. Eating publicly during the day in Ramadan is sinning in public. This is forbidden, as well as offending public taste and decency in Muslim countries. It's also a flagrant violation of the sanctity of society and the right of its sacred beliefs to be respected."

The official UAE site says:

Non-Muslims do not have to fast in Ramadan. However, they are prohibited from eating, drinking and smoking in public during the fasting hours. This includes chewing gum. Additionally, ensure that you do not:

engage in any aggressive behaviour

dance or play music in public although you may listen to music quietly with headphones

wear inappropriate clothing in public

swear as blasphemy is considered extra offensive during Ramadan

refuse a gift, or an invitation to join someone at Iftar.

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Report: US pressured Israel to not complain to UN about Hezbollah drone

From Naharnet:

Israel was mulling the possibility of filing a U.N. complaint against Lebanon over the drones that Hezbollah sent towards the Karish gas field, but it later shelved the idea at Washington’s request, al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Tuesday.

Israel refrained from filing the complaint “after the pressures of U.S. Ambassador Dorothy Shea on the Lebanese premier managed to secure a stance shirking responsibility in an official (Lebanese) statement,” al-Akhbar added, noting that the U.S. pressures were also aimed at avoiding any impact on U.S. President Joe Biden’s visit to the region.

Not sure how reliable Al Akhbar is, since Israel did  write a letter of complaint today. So the question is - was there US pressure?

“The Americans are exerting pressures on a group of Lebanese politicians to avoid any negative development that might affect the U.S. mediator’s tour, and they are also requesting the announcement of positive news about an imminent solution for the demarcation file in order to make use of that in the pacification efforts,” informed sources told the daily.

If true, does Israel get anything in return for acquiescing to US demands?  It doesn't seem so.

The article goes on to say that there may be a horse trade in the works to help the negotiations over the maritime demarcation line between Israel and Lebanon:

Al-Akhbar added, citing deliberately “leaked” media reports, that “the demarcation file has entered an advanced new stage.”

“Reports are saying that the Israel enemy does not mind granting Lebanon the entire Qana field without financial compensations, following a U.S. endeavor in this regard,” the newspaper said.

“Discussions are now revolving around a compensative maritime area that would be granted in return for giving up the entire field,” al-Akhbar added.

“This area is related to the demarcation of lines, which requires a zigzag line granting Israel a maritime area after adding the field to (Lebanon’s) exclusive economic zone,” the newspaper quoted the sources as saying.

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Buy the EoZ book, PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism  today at Amazon! Or order from your favorite bookseller, using ISBN 9798985708424.  Read all about it here!

 

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