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Yesterday (July 16), Human Rights Watch (HRW) posted a “Dispatch” about an Israeli military trial against Issa Amro and Farid al-Atrash for unlawful activity, including violence. The piece echoed the standard NGO themes about the trial, that prosecutors have no case (even though the evidence has not yet been made public) and that military courts “fall well short of any standards of justice.” As noted previously by NGO Monitor, the Amro and al-Atrash case has become a pretext for legal attacks against Israel.Khaled Abu Toameh: Abbas: Shut Up or I will Arrest You!
The article was written by a “consultant” named Khulood Badawi, the only article on HRW’s website attributed to this individual.
Who is Khulood Badawi?
She used to work for UN-OCHA – until February 2013, when she was fired for “a bogus post on Twitter alleging that a pictured Palestinian girl had been killed by the IDF during the 2012 shelling of Gaza.” (Honest Reporting noticed that the photo, tweeted under the handle “Long live Palestine,” was from 2006.)
Continuing her Palestinian propaganda role, Badawi moved to the PLO’s Negotiations Support Unit / Negotiations Affairs Department. There, she prepared materials for “Israeli target audiences.”Since May 2014, and despite being dismissed from UN-OCHA, she has been working with UN Office for Project Service (UNOPS). Her position, Communications Associate, is “part of a joint program” with the Canadian government, and she is responsible for – irony alert – developing “communication strategies” and “media material.”
And, apparently on the sidelines, she also writes propaganda for Human Rights Watch. Which isn’t surprising for HRW, which has an apparent policy of hiring anti-Israel BDS activists.
Critics say the Palestinian Authority's (PA) Cyber Crime Law, which permits the imprisonment of Palestinians for "liking" or sharing published material on the internet, paves the way for the emergence of a "police state" in PA-controlled territories in the West Bank. They also argue that the law aims to silence criticism of Abbas and the PA leadership.PMW: PMW exposes Abbas' latest deception: PA salaries to terrorists are not social welfare
"What is laughable is that this law carries penalties that are tougher than those imposed on thieves and sex offenders... the law, in its present form, is designed to limit the freedom of the media and punish people for simple matters." — Journalist in Ramallah.
This latest dictatorial move in the PA-controlled territories might also serve to remind the international community about the current readiness of the Palestinian leadership for statehood, and what such statehood would look like. In its current incarnation, that state would fit in just fine with its brutal Arab neighbors.
Contents: Click to view as PDF
Introduction:
- Facts and figures about PA payments to terrorists and their families
- PA claim: Salaries are social welfare
- The PA vows to continue paying salaries to terrorists
Part 1: 12 facts that refute the PA's claim that its payments to terrorists are social welfare
1. PA law defines the payments to prisoners as salaries
2. PA officials and prisoners' representatives deny that salaries are social welfare
3. Prisoners, and not their families, have complete control over the transfer of the salaries
4. Salaries rise based on years spent in prison and not based on financial need
5. Social welfare considerations add only small payments to the base salary
6. Salaries to prisoners are treated with the same status as salaries to civil servants.
7. Prisoners pay income tax on their salaries, like all government employees
8. Prisoners' salaries are higher than salaries of PA civil servants
9. Payments to families of terrorist "Martyrs" are higher than social welfare for those in need
10. Released prisoners continue to receive monthly salaries
11. PA officials openly declare that prisoners receive salaries because they are "heroes"
12. Released prisoner demanded undiminished salary because: "I personally killed Jews"
Part 2: The PA vows to continue paying salaries to terrorists
Introduction
Facts and figures about PA payments to terrorists and their families
The Palestinian Authority's "Law of the Prisoners" (2004) and subsequent PA regulations grant monthly salaries, from the day of arrest until the day of release, to all Palestinians arrested for security and terror offenses - acts defined in PA law as "struggle against the occupation." The salaries increase according to the amount of time the terrorist remains in prison, ranging from 1,400 shekels ($388) to 12,000 shekels ($3,324) per month. In 2016, the PA budgeted 488 million shekels ($135 million) for salaries to terrorist prisoners (numbering 6,300, July 2017)
The aim of the occupation of placing electronic gates is the humiliation of worshipers and citizens during their entry and exit to Al Aqsa, and to send a message to the Arabs and Muslims that they hold absolute sovereignty over Al Aqsa ... but Jerusalemites responded by rejection, until the situation returns to what it was before the electronic gates and checkpoints.Once again, Arabs put everything in terms of honor and shame. Even though the holy places in Saudi Arabia have metal detectors and tight security, the problem here is that Jews are the ones who are enforcing the security, which is humiliating to them. Since they are so sensitive to being humiliated, which is often worse than death, they assume that Israel's aim is to humiliate them.
For the first time in years, Jews went up onto the Temple Mount on Monday without the accompaniment of Muslim religious authority officials, as police allowed non-Muslim visitors back onto the powder-keg holy site for the first time since a Friday terror attack in the Old City of Jerusalem.
Many members of the Waqf — the Islamic trust that administers the site — have objected to the metal detectors Israel installed at entrances to the holy site and have refused to ascend to the compound, urging other Muslims to stay away as well in protest.
Waqf officials normally keep a close eye on non-Muslim visitors to the site, where a delicate status quo allowing only Muslim prayer is in place.
A Twitter feed belonging to Israeli rescue service Hatzolah published a picture of what it said were a group of Jews taking advantage of the lack of Waqf officials and reciting Kaddish for the two police officers — both Druze — who were killed in the attack.
Israel Police made a number of arrests in the wake of the deadly terror attack at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem on Friday morning, which claimed the lives of two Israeli police officers, and officers were on the hunt for additional suspects who may have helped the three Israeli-Arab perpetrators, police said.
Raids were also conducted on the homes of the terrorists, all from the northern Israeli city of Umm al-Fahm, and a mourners’ tent for the terrorists was broken up.
Channel 10 reported Friday that among those detained were at least one official from the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf, the Jordan-based organization that administers the Temple Mount, on suspicion that the shooters received help from inside.
The channel said the official was seen on security footage behaving suspiciously.
Police also said they arrested one person, a 22-year-old from the northern city on suspicion he was directly involved in the attack.
Police have not indicated what kind of assistance they believe the Waqf official provided, though Channel 10 said he may have helped the shooters stash the weapons used in the attack. A gag order was imposed on further aspects of the investigation relating to the Waqf.
Thousands of family members, friends, political dignitaries and others gathered Friday to mourn Border Police officers Haiel Stawi and Kamil Shnaan, who were killed in a terrorist attack near the Old City’s Lions’ Gate.IsraellyCool: Shot In The Back For Guarding A Mosque
Stawi, 30, the father of a three-week-old boy, was buried in the northern Druse village of Maghar. Shnaan, 22, the son of former MK Shakib Shnaan, was buried in the nearby Druse village of Hurfeish.
According to police, Stawi enlisted in the Border Police in 2012 and served in the Temple Mount Unit. Shnaan, who reportedly was to wed in a week, joined the Temple Mount Unit seven months ago to become a career officer.
Both men, who were buried within hours of each other, were posthumously promoted to the rank of advanced-staff-sergeant-major.
Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, Police Commissioner Roni Alsheich, Jerusalem District Police commander Yoram Halevy, senior police officers, ministers, members of Knesset and dignitaries from the Druse community attended the funerals.
Israeli police have released a video showing the moments just as the two Israeli Druze policemen are shot just outside the Temple Mount. The most horrifying aspect is that the two policemen were taken completely by surprise because they are facing AWAY FROM THE MOSQUE! They are supposed to be guarding the Temple Mount compound (against what I don’t know). Certainly not against hordes of armed Jews “storming” it!
The murdering terrorists run down from the so-called “Third Holiest Site in Islam” to murder and run back there in a, thankfully futile, attempt to escape justice.
Also remember the terrorists, in this case, do not come from anywhere that can be considered “occupied”. They’re from the Israeli Arab village of Um Al Fahm in northern Israel.
These two brave men were murdered in an act of Islamic terrorism for defending an Islamic holy site. That is what glorifies Allah apparently and furthers the cause of relentless Jihad.
The Security Council,
Grieved at the extensive damage caused by arson to the Holy Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem on 21 August 1969 under the military occupation of Israel,
Mindful of the consequent loss to human culture,
Having heard the statements made before the Council reflecting the universal outrage caused by the act of sacrilege in one of the most venerated shrines of mankind,
Recalling its resolutions 252 (1968) of 21 May 1968 and 267 (1969) of 3 July 1969 and the earlier General Assembly resolutions 2253 (ES-V) and 2254 (ES-V) of 4 and 14 July 1967, respectively, concerning measures and action by Israel affecting the status of the City of Jerusalem,
Reaffirming the established principle that acquisition of territory by military conquest is inadmissible,
1. Reaffirms its resolutions 252 (1968) and 267 (1969);
2. Recognizes that any act of destruction or profanation of the Holy Places, religious buildings and sites in Jerusalem or any encouragement of, or connivance at, any such act may seriously endanger international peace and security;
3. Determines that the execrable act of desecration and profanation of the Holy Al-Aqsa Mosque emphasizes the immediate necessity of Israel's desisting from acting in violation of the aforesaid resolutions and rescinding forthwith all measures and actions taken by it designed to alter the status of Jerusalem;
4. Calls upon Israel scrupulously to observe the provisions of the Geneva Conventions 1/ and international law governing military occupation and to refrain from causing any hindrance to the discharge of the established functions of the Supreme Moslem Council of Jerusalem, including any co-operation that Council may desire from countries with predominantly Moslem population and from Moslem communities in relation to its plans for the maintenance and repair of the Islamic Holy Places in Jerusalem;
5. Condemns the failure of Israel to comply with the aforementioned resolutions and calls upon it to implement forthwith the provisions of these resolutions;
6. Reiterates the determination in paragraph 7 of resolution 267 (1969) that, in the event of a negative response or no response, the Security Council shall convene without delay to consider what further action should be taken in this matter;
7. Requests the Secretary-General to follow closely the implementation of the present resolution and to report thereon to the Security Council at the earliest possible date.
So far, the unprecedented decision to shutter the Old City and cancel the Friday prayers on the Mount has been met with relative quiet in East Jerusalem. In Silwan, a Jewish couple and their baby suffered from smoke inhalation after a firebomb was thrown at their car, but this isn't unusual for this neighborhood.Indeed, firebombs against Jews living in their own homes in Jerusalem aren't unusual. Indeed, they are almost never reported.
I strongly support greater separation between religion and state in Israel, as Theodor Herzl outlined in his plan for the nation-state of the Jewish People in Der Judenstaat 120 years ago: "We shall . . . prevent any theocratic tendencies from coming to the fore on the part of our priesthood. We shall keep our priests [by which is meant Rabbis] within the confines of their temples." It was David Ben Gurion, Israel's founding Prime Minister, who made the deal with the Orthodox Rabbinate that violated Herzl's mandate and knocked down the wall of separation between religion and state. He allocated to the Chief Rabbinate authority over many secular matters, such as marriage, divorce and child custody. He also laid the groundwork for the creation of religious parties that have been a necessary part of most Israeli coalitions for many years.Ken Loach accused of exempting himself from cultural boycott of Israel
So, do not blame Israel's current Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, for the recent capitulation. His government's survival depends on his unholy alliance with allegedly holy parties that threaten to leave the coalition and bring down his government unless he capitulated. The alternative to a Netanyahu government might well be far to the right of the current government, both on religious matters and on prospects for peace. Reasonable people may disagree as to whether Netanyahu did the right thing, but I believe that given the choice between the current government and what may well replace it, PM Netanyahu acted on acceptable priorities.
This is not to say that I am happy with the end result. As a post-denominational Jew, I want to see a part of the Western Wall opened to conservative and reform prayer. I also want to see conservative and reform and modern orthodox rabbis deemed fully competent to perform rituals including marriage and divorce. I will continue to fight for these outcomes, and I think we will ultimately be successful. But in the meantime, I will also continue to fly El Al, contribute to Israeli hospitals, attend APAC events, and encourage Americans to support Israel, both politically and financially. To do otherwise is to engage in a form of BDS – the tactic currently employed by Israel's enemies to delegitimate the Nation state of the Jewish people. Supporters of BDS will point to these benign boycotts as a way of justifying their malignant ones. If BDS is an immoral tactic, as it surely is, so too is punishing the people of Israel for the failure of its government to be fully inclusive of Jews who do not align themselves with the ultra-Orthodox.
Tough love may be an appropriate response in family matters, but boycotting a troubled nation which has become a pariah among the hard-left is not the appropriate response to the Israeli government's recent decisions regarding religion. The answer is not disengagement, but rather greater engagement with Israel on matters that involve world Jewry. I, too, am furious about the arrogant and destructive threats of the ultra-Orthodox parties in the current government. I, too, would prefer to see a coalition that excluded the ultra-Orthodox parties. I, too, would like to see a high wall of separation that kept the Rabbis out of politics. But I do not live in Israel, and Israel is a democracy. Ultimately it is up to the citizens of Israel to change the current system. The role of American Jews is limited to persuasion, not coercion. In the end, we will be successful in persuading the Israeli people to take the power of religious, coercion out of the hands of the ultra-Orthodox minority because that would not only be good for secular Israelis – who are a majority – but also for religious Israelis. History has proven that separation of state from religion is better not only for the state, but also for religion.
Ken Loach has been accused of seeing himself as exempt from the cultural boycott of Israel that he promotes, after claims that he allowed his films to be distributed in the country without objection.How Al Jazeera Inspires Terrorists
Loach has vocally condemned artists who perform in Israel as supporting an “apartheid regime” and his long-standing producer insisted it was down to a “mistake” that the Palme d’Or winning I, Daniel Blake is currently showing in Israeli cinemas.
The contentious issue of Loach’s films being screened in Israel emerged after the director’s searing condemnation of Radiohead’s decision to play a concert in Tel Aviv later this month. Loach accused the band of ignoring Palestinian communities and supporting a system of apartheid by refusing to commit to the cultural boycott of Israel.
Rebecca O’Brien, Loach’s producer, said the distribution company Wild Bunch, had done the deal “accidentally” and without the knowledge of Loach or his production company Sixteen Films.
“We have asked Wild Bunch before not to sell to Israel,” O’Brien said. “But what happened this time – and what has happened before – is that during Cannes, things happen very fast and a junior member of the company went and sold it to Israel in the heat of the moment, forgetting we had asked for it not to be sold there.”
Claims that the distribution rights for Israel were sold “accidentally” were however dismissed as “absurd” by Loach’s long-term Israeli distributor Guy Shani, the head of Shani Films and also the owner of Israel’s Lev cinema chain.
The Qatari-funded news network al Jazeera has inspired terrorists world wide, and continues to promote an extremist ideology to viewers, more than 80 percent of whom expressed support for ISIS, according to a new video issued by the United Arab Emirates, one of several Arab countries currently boycotting Qatar over its continued financial support for terror groups.
The UAE and other major Arab nations such as Saudi Arabia have ceased all ties with Qatar until the country fulfills a list of demands that includes cutting ties to terror groups and shutting down al Jazeera, which these nations say is promoting Islamic radicalism across the region and elsewhere.
"Al Jazeera Supports Terrorism," declares the latest video, which is being publicized by the UAE’s foreign ministry.
Al Jazeera has long faced accusations that it promotes terrorism and distorts regional news events, such as the conflict with Israel. Al Jazeera has been caught staging deaths in Egypt and elsewhere and trying to pass off the false scenes as news.
Former al Jazeera employees are currently suing the network over its support for the Muslim Brotherhood and allegedly misleading employees about the network’s extremist ties.
Hours after Canadian food inspectors ordered liquor stores to stop selling wines made in the West Bank, saying their label identifying them as Israeli contravenes Ottawa’s policy on the territory, Canada’s federal food inspection agency backtracked on the decision.Canadian Food Inspection Agency Blames Powerless, "Low-Level" (and Anonymous) Employee For Israeli Wine Boycott "Mistake"? Call Me Dubious
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said in a Thursday statement that it had not “fully considered” the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement in reaching its ruling. The agency said the wines do in fact adhere to the agreement and can be sold as currently labeled.
The Liquor Control Board of Ontario said earlier that the inspection agency had notified wine sellers last week that it would be unacceptable to declare Israel as the country of origin for wine products that aren’t produced within Israel’s formal borders. The board issued a letter to its vendors informing them of the decision.
The letter indicated “that ‘Product of Israel’ would not be an acceptable country of origin declaration for wine products that have been made from grapes that are grown, fermented, processed, blended and finished in the West Bank occupied territory.”
The ruling would have extended to wines from “any other territory occupied by Israel in 1967” that carried such a label, which would be “considered misleading,” specifically mentioning the Golan Heights, East Jerusalem and Gaza, as well as the West Bank.
The initial announcement singled out the Psagot and Shiloh wineries, made in settlements outside Ramallah. (h/t zee)
After an outcry from Israel and Jewish organizations at the local level, the boycott has now been rescinded.Melanie Phillips: Fighters and fainthearts in the free world
Fine and dandy. But had there been no protest, the boycott would still be in place.
And, sorry, I'm just not buying the story that this was some "low-level mistake." I see something far more purposeful--and insidious--here: Zion-hate infesting Canadian government agencies at the highest levels. (In a way, this is like the sharia-compliant bathing suit story I posted yesterday--some anonymous schlub is blamed for something that advances a particular agenda while higher ups insist that it's all a big "mistake.")
Please join me here as I discuss with Avi Abelow of Israel Video Network the significance of Narendra Modi’s visit to Israel, President Trump’s speech in Poland and Britain’s bruising Brexit blowback. (noisy fan for the first 20 sec)
Buy EoZ's book, PROTOCOLS: EXPOSING MODERN ANTISEMITISM
If you want real peace, don't insist on a divided Jerusalem, @USAmbIsrael
The Apartheid charge, the Abraham Accords and the "right side of history"
With Palestinians, there is no need to exaggerate: they really support murdering random Jews
Great news for Yom HaShoah! There are no antisemites!