Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Wednesday, September 07, 2016

B'Tselem Won't Call Hamas a Terrorist Organization (Judean Rose)

Varda Meyers Epstein's weekly column:

It's hard to understand why someone like Sarit Michaeli, the spokesperson for B'Tselem, the so-called human rights organization, continues to live in Israel, considering the fact that she sees Israel as an "occupier" of its Arab minority. I mean, if she thinks she's guilty of a crime, why doesn't she leave?

At the same time, it's even more difficult to understand why anyone gives her a platform to spew her nonsense. Still, Alan Mendoza of JTV acquitted himself well in his interview of Michaeli.

He at least tried to pin her down, to make her admit that, for instance, Hamas, the ruling power in Gaza, is a terrorist organization. He asks her once, twice, three times. But that comes later.

The interview begins with an overview of B'Tselem history and how the org has morphed from being all about the "occupation," all the time, to sometimes noticing that the other side isn't exactly playing fair. You know how it goes: gotta look balanced or no one takes you seriously. Especially since you got caught giving out cameras to people in Hebron to take that little film clip of Elor Azaria in which you MUTED THE SOUND.

Soon enough, thank God, Mendoza cuts off her blather:

Alan Mendoza: Okay, so the original goal was informational, and to bring to light human rights abuses. What's the goal today?

Sarit Michaeli: So I think over the years, the situation has changed on the ground and I think our understanding as well of the inflation of our role in the broader picture is also evolved.

(Take a deep breath. Not really, but this is going to be long.)

Sarit Michaeli: If in the past, it seemed like information is enough in order to spur Israelis on to action, to get them to oppose the Israeli occupation—which we do as the pure problem of human rights violations of Palestinians living under it—now of course we're much more nuanced I think in our understanding and we know that this isn't simply going to change purely by providing this information, but information and research is still, for the basic building block of our work but on top of that we do a lot of advocacy with Israel, with the international community, with the Israeli public, talking about the reality on the ground, talking about what it means, you know, we're actually only just a week following the 49th anniversary of the occupation, actually half a century, entering a 50th year of the occupation, and one of the key things for us is trying to explain the reality on the ground all Palestinians living under the occupation today. . .

(Someone, anyone, please write the McWhirter brothers. Surely that's a sentence worthy of a Guinness record?)

Alan Mendoza: I get you want to explain what's happening on the ground. Where do you want that to go to? What's your end point in this?

Sarit Michaeli: I mean, for us I think the key issue is that the Israeli occupation needs to end. B'Tselem doesn't say. . .

Alan Mendoza: Is that a two-state solution or a one-state solution?

Sarit Michaeli: B'Tselem doesn't provide a blueprint as to how to end the conflict. It's far beyond the limits of our mandate. Our mandate is to look at the current situation and to you know, influence Israelis and Palestinians to reach a decision on how to end the conflict between them and how to resolve it, you know, in whatever way that of course, appears to work for both sides, but also to force it to benchmarks, to human rights benchmarks.

Alan Mendoza: I understand that. You speak of human rights benchmarks. Of course it's important those are kept to. What about benchmarks on the Palestinian side? It doesn't appear you have any interest in Palestinian rights and we know, we've had many reports from Palestinian human rights activists about what happens under the Palestinian Authority. Torture, murder, things like that. Where's your comment on that?

Ooh. SNAP.

Sarit Michaeli: Well absolutely, so our website of course includes critique, not just theoretical critiques, but also information and data on the most egregious human rights violations under the Palestinian Authority but also under the Hamas regime in Gaza. We certainly view human rights as a universal issue and of course it would be completely absurd not to relate to these kinds of violations. What we try to also do is we work out what we would be effective in doing, so when it comes to the recent, for example, execution in Gaza by Hamas, to torture and various forms of denial of freedom of speech by the PA, of course we've made very clear statements about this. We've also made statements and we denounce in very categorical terms Palestinian attacks against Israeli civilians are not just a violation of the rights of the Palestinians by other Palestinians, but also a violation of Israelis by Palestinians.

Say what?

Sarit Michaeli: However, as it is really an Israeli organization, the bulk of our research and our work and our effort goes at self-criticism so looking at our own government, our own army. . .

Here it comes. The big question. First time:

Alan Mendoza: Let's look at one issue. Is Hamas a terrorist organization?

Sarit Michaeli: Hamas engages in clear terrorist acts when it bombs Israeli civilians. We have denounced these actions clearly, I mean if you're referring to the attempt by a former Israeli Member of Knesset to basically smear B'Tselem's director, in order to place us in a position, to present a false image, as if B'Tselem is somehow, in any way, in support of attacks against civilians, it's simply incorrect and it is simply, basically a form of political attack against us then what can we do. . .

Second time:

Alan Mendoza: Are you prepared to call Hamas a terrorist organization? That's what I'm asking you.

Third time:

Alan Mendoza: Are you prepared to call Hamas a terrorist organization?

Sarit Michaeli: As I said, we denounce the terrorist acts perpetrated by Hamas military. We have stated that again and again. Again what you're referring to is a clear attempt by Israeli politicians, to try and present us as if we are terrorists . . .

Alan Mendoza: It's a very simple question. . .

Sarit Michaeli: . . . and of course this is simply unacceptable. . .

Alan Mendoza: . . . and you're not answering it.

Sarit Mendoza: I answered it.

Alan Mendoza: Well, it seems that you believe that Hamas is not a terrorist organization. . .

Sarit Mendoza: We have said that Hamas attacks Israelis, attacks Israeli civilians, and it bombs Israeli civilians. We've denounced these acts, clearly.

Alan Mendoza: It's a terrorist organization part of the time.

Sarit Michaeli: I've answered your question.

Actually, no. You haven't.

Sarit Michaeli: You're trying to basically present our, you know, our attitude and approach to this issue based on the framing of you know, presented by an Israeli extremist right-wing Member of Knesset when he was a radio reporter. This is the backdrop to what we're talking about. I think this notion of somehow like smearing us as like terrorist sympathizers, it's just simply unacceptable. B'Tselem has a very clear record of condemning this type of violence.

Alan Mendoza: I'm afraid that's all we've got time for. Thank you for joining us.

So as a mother of 12 kids, what this reminded me of most is the theory that you never call a child "bad." Rather, you say his actions are bad. "Jimmy, it is a bad thing to bite Susie" but never , "Jimmy, you are a bad boy for biting Susie."

In other words, B'Tselem views Hamas as an unruly child to be tamed with psychobabble. Michaeli won't characterize Hamas as a terrorist organization. She has no compunction, on the other hand, about characterizing Israel as an "occupier."

Just another example of the soft bigotry of low expectations, brought to you by B'Tselem.

(h/t Natan Epstein)

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Last night, armed supporters of Mahmoud Zahar surrounded the home of rival Hamas official Ghazi Hamad over comments he made.

A couple of days ago, Zahar - who is close to the Al Qassam Brigades - said that he was against any reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah, and that if any agreement would let Fatah back in Gaza he would leave Hamas and create an alternative party.

Speaking to a Turkish newspaper, Hamad answered that Hamas would not allow an alternate party to be set up in Gaza, and that Hamas does not make its decisions on dictates from Tehran. Zahar has close ties with Iran.

Zahar's supporters in the Al Qassam Brigades held a tense face-off for several hours with Hamad's own armed guards, and only intense behind-the-scenes negotiations averted gunfire between the sides.

There is other drama in the ranks of the Hamas leadership, as Khaled Meshal is ending his second term as Hamas' political leader, and Gaza Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh is jockeying for position to replace him. This all depends on Haniyeh's ability to leave Gaza, and the stories say that he plans to leave Gaza under the pretense of going on the Hajj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia but really to be available to take over Meshal's position.

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Little correlation between Israeli wine quality and price. Use this to your advantage! (update)

Wine Spectator magazine is putting Israeli wines on its front cover for its October 15 issue.

You can see how they rate over a hundred Israeli wines here.

I wondered if the higher-priced wines would tend to be of better quality. So I ran the numbers:

There was an extremely weak correlation (0.081) between price and score.

The best bargains would be the Barkan Chardonnay Judean Hills Special Reserve 2012, with a score of 91 for $25, and the Tzora Judean Hills White 2014, with a score of 92 for $30.

It is notable that the best wines tend to come from the Judean Hills - in other words, in areas that the world wants Jews to abandon to people for whom drinking wine, by and large, is considered a sin.

UPDATE: Tzora Vineyards is actually on the west side of the Green Line (h/t Danny). Others are as well (h/t Ron.)

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09/06 Links Pt2: Glick: The American Inquisition; BDS is a Settler Colonial Ideology

From Ian:

BDS is a Settler Colonial Ideology

One of the foundational claims of the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement is that Israel is a settler colonial project without legitimacy.
It is a claim repeated in mindless rote fashion, as if repeating it ten times in every discussion is a litmus test for being truly anti-Zionist. The claim is that Jews have no historical claim to the land of Israel, that they are outsiders imposed upon the region by colonial powers upon the indigenous Arab (mostly Muslim) population.
The point of this post is not to address all the lies and distortions build into the settler colonial claim, which is an inversion of history. In fact, the Muslim conquerors who replaced the indigenous Jewish and other populations are the settlers who colonized the area. Zionism is the liberation movement of the indigenous People of the region. That many centuries have passed since Arabs from Arabia and northern Africa settled the area through force does not change the fact that they are not the indigenous Peoples. But that’s an argument for another time.
This post is about how BDS itself has become a settler colonial ideology, which imposes itself on other peoples and other struggles, conquers, and subjugates the goals of others, particularly people of color, to the anti-Israel agenda.
We have documented this hijacking of other movements many times, and described the damage BDS leaves behind. The most glaring example is how anti-Israel BDS activists have infiltrated and redirected the Black Lives Matter movement:

Caroline Glick: The American Inquisition

The most notable aspect of Wheatley’s letter is that it contained no commitment to investigate her allegations of anti-Semitic intimidation on the part of faculty and student BDS goons. It contained no commitment to purge bigoted intimidation from campus or invite Israelis with Zionist views to speak at Syracuse or participate in university events. It contained no mention of any plans to discipline Hamner for engaging in bigoted actions.
Rather, it simply reinvited Dotan, whose anti-Israel credentials were belatedly sorted out.
For nearly eight years, US President Barack Obama’s Justice Department has refused to investigate the flagrant civil rights violations carried out by BDS activists, groups and their faculty and administration allies and enablers. So there is no reason to think that any federal investigation will be conducted any time soon.
Rather, we can expect anti-Jewish prejudice to become ever stronger and more brazen. We can expect Israeli Jews to be shunned to greater and greater degrees and for pro-Israel students, faculty and administrators – Jewish and non-Jewish – to become less and less free to voice their views.
And we can expect the US higher education system to speed up its slide into moral dystopia and intellectual corruption.

An interesting Twitter discussion yesterday started off with this Jeffrey Goldberg tweet about a Haaretz article on how the Times of Israel co-founder has given lots of money to CAMERA, which is highly critical of Haaretz. Here is some of the discussion:

A subthread opened up from Mairav Zonszein, who styles herself as a journalist and has published in The Guardian, the New York Times, the Forward and elsewhere:

Two of the major principles that journalists are supposed to adhere to are fairness and accuracy. We've already shown that Zonszein violates both of those principles, yet calls herself a journalist.

A third major principle is accountability, that journalists must issue corrections and apologies when they violate the other principles. By attacking a media watchdog, Zonszein shows that she is also violating that principle.

So what exactly makes her - and the other critics of CAMERA in the field who refuse to adhere to basic journalistic standards - "journalists"?

I am on the record that I will correct any errors I write no matter what the political orientation of the critic. Why do left-wing journalists have such a problem adhering to the same, basic standard? Even worse, why do they castigate the people who find the errors?

It is almost as if these so-called "journalists" value bias over truth.

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Once upon a time, the people that built things with their own two hands were admired. The pioneers. Their sweat and the dirt beneath their fingernails was a badge of honor, a testament to their courage.

The builders, people who created something from nothing, were upheld as an example.
They who made the rocky hills green, who planted vineyards and made fruit trees grow where, once, there was only desolation – they were the ones to emulate.

To set out alone, relying on no one but oneself was the mark of a man, free in his own land.

They toiled under the sun, individuals with a few family members. People with no family found friends who became family. Together they carved out an existence reborn in the land of their forefathers.

And the world watched in wonder.

They dug wells and planted seeds. They built homes and schools and synagogues. They created places of beauty. They laid the foundation so that more people could come and join them, start families and have children whose laughter rang in the wind as they ran on the hilltops.

Children that were free and strong, stubborn like their parents.

Children who knew they could do anything, achieve anything if they were willing to work hard, like their parents.

Can you imagine the pride of looking at a hill and knowing that it is green because you planted all the seeds? To bring forth wine from a land once empty? To put your arm over your son's shoulders and tell him: "Son, do you remember the day we finished building the house? You helped me lay the titles for the roof. Our home, we did that, together."

They are the pioneers.

Once they were admired.

In America, the land of my birth, pioneers of the land are barely remembered. Who remembers a time when there were no roads, no cities or towns, no gardens, no businesses?

“You didn’t build that” and “Build it for me” are much more common than, “Get out of my way and let me build for myself.”

In Israel, the land of my heritage, the pioneers are still building and creating new life where once there was none. No longer upheld as ones to be admired, they remain as stubborn as their parents. The ground resonates through their feet and the wild freedom of their hearts cannot be imprisoned by disapproval of others.

Looked on with scorn, the world now calls them the “settlers”. As if it is not due to their hard work that I have a place in which I can settle down and call home. As if there is any difference between the “settlers” of today and the pioneers of a generation ago, our founders responsible for the rebirth of this land.

People whisper in horror: “They are religious fanatics, ideologues.” As if it was not thousands of years of keeping faith with our religion and our heritage that led the pioneers back to the land that, even in exile, was always home.

As if the idea of being a self-actualized nation, free in our own land, is a right reserved only for those who are not Jewish.

Many say, “What is wrong with them? Why do they put their children in danger?” The pioneers know that being custodians of the land of our ancestors comes at a terrible price.

The murderous waves of hatred of those who wish Jews gone from the land of our fathers break upon the backs of the pioneers. All too often they pay in blood and tears for the right to enjoy what they built with their own two hands. It takes a will of steel to stand unmoving but they know that they stand in the gap. Should they step aside, the waves will crash, washing away everything: Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Netanya and Haifa.

What choice is there?

They are the pioneers. Courageous and bold, stubborn and unbending, they remain unchanged in a world that has changed dramatically.

They have earned everything they have. They built what we have today.

And I, who have built nothing, am grateful.

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09/06 Links Pt1: PA accuses PMW of incitement for exposing terror incitement of Jibril Rajoub; Iran Is Courting Hamas

From Ian:

PMW: PA accuses PMW of incitement for exposing terror incitement of Jibril Rajoub

In its monthly report on so-called Israeli incitement, the Palestinian Authority's official news agency WAFA accused Palestinian Media Watch of incitement for exposing Jibril Rajoub's incitement to terror and murder.
In its monthly "incitement" report, WAFA extensively quoted an article from the Israeli paper Israel Hayom. That article was an in-depth story on PMW's report The Rajoub File, which documents that:
Jibril Rajoub, Chairman of the Palestine Olympic Committee

Promotes and glorifies Palestinian terror and incites murder of Israelis

Uses his title as Olympic committee chairman while glorifying terror

Prohibits using sports for peacebuilding

Violates the fundamental Olympic principles

Upon publishing the report, PMW sent it to the International Olympic Committee, calling for the committee to:

Demand Mr. Rajoub's removal from the position of Chairman of the Palestine Olympic Committee

Ban Mr. Rajoub from participating in any activities related to the International Olympic Committee, as well as meetings and events of the national Olympic Committees

Prohibit Mr. Rajoub from using the title "Chairman of the Palestine Olympic Committee"

Demand the appointment of a new Palestinian chairman who rejects terror, upholds Olympic values, and facilitates peacebuilding through sports

The International Olympic Committee has not yet responded to PMW's call or reacted to the contents of the report documenting Rajoub's support for terror and murder.

Justice over Terror Denied as PLO Escapes Responsibility

The PLO and PA were clearly responsible. Not only through planning, but through incitement. Official PA TV in 2000 encouraged viewers to “kill those Jews and those Americans who are like them, and those who stand with them.”
The appeals panel cared not. The decision acknowledged the attacks were “unquestionably horrific” — but claimed that the crimes were outside the law’s jurisdiction. Mass carnage was sought, said the court, but not necessarily of Americans.
Setting this standard would leave American victims of international terrorism and their families legally homeless in pursuing justice against their attackers — and effectively render the entire law in question moot.
This is especially dangerous when the Palestinian Authority continues to encourage attacks on innocents. Arafat’s successor, Mahmoud Abbas, sponsors bloodshed by paying millions in salaries to imprisoned terrorists.
The ruling offends the conscience. It must go to the Supreme Court, which cannot let it stand.

Amazing: Ornate flooring of Second Temple reconstructed

From the Ir David Foundation:

Archeologists from the Jerusalem-based Temple Mount Sifting Project are confident that they have successfully restored a unique architectural element of the Second Temple. Namely, a series of regally decorated floor tiles that adorned the porticos atop the Temple Mount, and which likely featured prominently in the courtyards of the Second Temple during the period that King Herod ruled (37 to 4 BCE) in Jerusalem.

"It enables us to get an idea of the Temple's incredible splendor," stated Dr. Gabriel Barkay, co-founder and director of the Temple Mount Sifting Project. The restored tiles will be presented to the general public on September 8^th, at the 17^th Annual City of David Archaeological Conference. “This represents the first time that archeologists have been able to successfully restore an element from the Herodian Second Temple complex,” stated Zachi Dvira, co-founder and director of the Temple Mount Sifting Project.

The Temple Mount Sifting Project was established in response to the illegal removal of tons of antiquities-rich earth from the Temple Mount by the Islamic Waqf in 1999. It is located in the Tzurim Valley National Park, and is supported by the City of David Foundation and the Israel Archaeology Foundation. The initiative is run under the auspices of Bar-Ilan University and the Israel Parks & Nature Authority.

Frankie Snyder, a member of the Temple Mount Sifting Project's team of researchers and an expert in the study of ancient Herodian style flooring, succeeded in restoring the ornate tile patterns “using geometric principles, and through similarities found in tile design used by Herod at other sites,” said Snyder, who has an academic background in mathematics and Judaic Studies. "This type of flooring, called 'opus sectile,’ Latin for ‘cut work,’ is very expensive and was considered to be far more prestigious than mosaic tiled floors.”

"So far, we have succeeded in restoring seven potential designs of the majestic flooring that decorated the buildings of the Temple Mount," said Snyder, explaining that there were no opus sectile floors in Israel prior to the time of King Herod. “The tile segments were perfectly inlaid such that one could not even insert a sharp blade between them."

To date, approximately 600 colored stone floor tile segments have been uncovered, with more than 100 of them definitively dated to the Herodian Second Temple period. This style of flooring is consistent with those found in Herod's palaces at Masada, Herodian, and Jericho among others, as well as in majestic palaces and villas in Italy, also attributed to the time of Herod. The tile segments, mostly imported from Rome, Asia Minor, Tunisia and Egypt, were created from polished multicolored stones cut in a variety of geometric shapes. A key characteristic of the Herodian tiles is their size, which corresponds to the Roman foot, approximately 29.6 cm.

###

The possibility that large expanses of the Temple Mount during the Second Temple were covered with opus sectile flooring was first raised by archaeologist Assaf Avraham in 2007, director of the Jerusalem Walls National Park with the Israel Nature and Parks Authority.

Avraham's theory was based on a description given by the Romano-Jewish historian Josephus (1^st Century CE) who wrote, "… the uncovered [Temple Mount courtyard] was completely paved with stones of various types and colors…" (The Jewish War 5:2) Additionally, Talmudic literature records the magnificent construction of the Temple Mount, describing rows of marble in different colors - green, blue and white.

"Now, as a result of Frankie Snyder's mathematical skills, we have succeeded in recreating the actual tile patterns. This represents the first time that we can see with our own eyes the splendor of the flooring that decorated the Second Temple and its annexes 2,000 years ago,” stated Dr. Gabriel Barkay, co-founder and director of the Temple Mount Sifting Project. “Referring to the Temple that Herod built, the Talmud says that 'Whoever has not seen Herod's building has not seen a beautiful building in his life'. Though we have not merited seeing the Temple in its glory, with the discovery and restoration of these unique floor tiles, we are now able to have a deeper understanding and appreciation for the Second Temple, even through this one distinctive characteristic."

Since the Temple Mount Sifting Project’s inception in 2004, more than 200,000 volunteers from around the world have taken part in the sifting, representing an unprecedented phenomenon in the realm of archaeological research.

Here are the photos of the finds, and they are amazing:

It is hard to imagine the scale of destruction done by the Islamic Waqf to the remains of the Second Temple when they constructed an underground mosque on the Temple Mount. Literally the most important archaeological site in the world was destroyed. The Temple Mount sifting Project is doing an amazing job trying to take the tons of materials that were discarded to find these sorts of gems.

And yet, no one from the international community condemned this crime against history by the Muslims who claim the most sacred Jewish site as their own.

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Nobody for President! There is no choice.

When people ask me who I want to vote for this November, I simply cannot answer.

The choices are horrible. I simply cannot stomach voting for either major party. I do not want to be even slightly responsible for either of these major party candidates becoming president.

As much as I hate to abdicate my right to vote, I cannot vote for the US President this year.

I think this is the principled decision.

So I made an online shop where people who agree with me can show that they are disgusted by the candidates and by their campaigns.

Introducing Nobody for President.

You can proudly display your disgust with the current political season by buying a bumper sticker, buttons, T-shirts, mugs or lawn signs at the site.

Make a statement. Buy the swag.

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Jordanians make fun of candidate who claims Israel is threatening him

From Ammon News:

A candidate in the upcoming Jordanian elections on September 20th has claimed that he is receiving threats from the Israeli army - again.

In a post shared on his official Facebook page, candidate Shebli Haddad posted a snapshot of a chat he had with the Arabic media spokesperson of the Israeli Defense Forces, Avechay Adraee. In a brief message, the IDF Spokesperson explains-according to Haddad-that “reliable sources” have told him that Haddad intends to visit the Gaza with the intent of breaking the siege.

Adraee appears to warn Haddad of any consequences that could arise from such a visit, but his picture and message can hardly be seen in the low quality photo.

“Mr. Shebli Haddad

We have learned from reliable sources about your intentions to visit the Gaza Strip with the goal of breaking the siege [on the area]!

We at the Israeli Defense Ministry deplore this behavior, and we warn you of the consequences coming with this visit. We will hold you entirely responsible for what happens. We ask you to cancel your trip to the Gaza Strip, and we are ready to meet with you and fulfill any request in the future in regards to Gaza or the greater State of Israel.

Avechay Adraee, official spokesperson for the Israeli Defense Forces”

This isn’t the first time that Haddad has claimed he’s been threatened by Israel. Stating that full liberation of Palestine from “the river to the sea” is his number one priority once obtaining office, Haddad regularly claims that Zionist plots aim to foil his bid at the parliament.

When he was forced to run for a municipal seat in the elections rather than a parliamentary one, Haddad took to Facebook to claim that the refusal of his candidacy due to unpaid utility bills had more to do with the “betrayal” than his bank account.

Considering the most recent alleged plot against him, the poor quality of the picture, as well as another post of Haddad photoshopped into a meeting with Hillary Clinton, Haddad has not given observers much faith in the message’s authenticity. As a result, many commenters have been quick to call “photoshop”.

Haddad is a candidate for a spot dedicated to Christians.

Besides the clearly manufactured threats against him (Adraee wouldn't have written to him to begin with, he wouldn't have used the word "siege" nor would he have said "greater State of Israel") Haddad also claimed that he was offered a "blank check" to withdraw his candidacy.

No one takes him seriously but he manages to get coverage for his antics.

Here's the alleged message from the IDF spokesperson:

Haddad also used an online tool - whose logo is all over this picture - to pretend that Paris Hilton is a fan of his:

The days where politicians can get votes by claiming Zionist conspiracies aren't just over. They themselves are now considered to be jokes.

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Interesting observations in UNCTAD report on Gaza - both the lies and the truth

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development came out with a "Report on UNCTAD assistance to the Palestinian people: Developments in the economy of the Occupied Palestinian Territory."

Here is the first paragraph of the executive summary:

In 2015, Israel withheld Palestinian fiscal revenue for four months, donor aid declined and Israeli settlements continued to expand into the Occupied Palestinian Territory, while poverty and unemployment remained high. The Occupied Palestinian Territory continued to be a captive market for exports from Israel, while occupation neutralized the potential development impact of donor aid. Genuine reconstruction has yet to take off in the Gaza Strip despite $3.5 billion in donor pledges. Gaza's socioeconomic conditions worsened and the infant mortality rate increased for the first time in 50 years.

There is huge bias in how this report is written. For example, what the report says about infant mortality is quickly found to be a lie:

A shocking indicator of the grim situation in Gaza is the rising infant mortality rate, one of the best indicators for the health of a community. Infant mortality has risen for the first time in 50 years. The rate of neonatal mortality has also risen significantly, from 12 per 1,000 live births in 2008 to 20.3 in 2013. According to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (2015), progress in combating infant mortality does not usually reverse. The trend in Gaza is unprecedented and rarely observed outside communities affected by HIV epidemics.

I've already shown that it is Hamas, not Israel, that is responsible for any possible uptick in infant mortality. But the uptick in infant mortality reported by UNRWA in 2013 is not shared by the CIA World Factbook, which has much lower numbers across the board but also shows a steady decline in infant mortality in 2013 and 2014:

Not only that, but there are quite a few countries whose infant mortality rates have increased over time - it is not "unprecedented," as the UN claims. Chile's, Belgium's and Austria's went up in 2004, Bangladesh in 2009, British Virgin Islands in 2012, the United States in 2014, and quite a few more.

The UN is lying.

However, in this report, the truth is somewhat more interesting than the lies.

It shows that donor aid to the Palestinian authority plummeted by 30% in 2015. The amount of money thrown by the world to Palestinian kleptocrats has gone way down.

The report says "The one-sided customs union, enshrined in the Paris Protocol, and obstacles to trade and productive activities effectively render the Occupied Palestinian Territory a captive market for exports from Israel. In recent years, Israel accounted for more than 70 per cent of Palestinian imports and absorbed about 85 per cent of Palestinian exports."

But that is no longer true. The same document has a table that says that in 2015, only 55% of Palestinian trade was with Israel. It is still the lion's share, but "captive market" is a bit of an exaggeration. The percentage of trade with Israel has been going steadily down over twenty years.

The most fascinating - and perhaps puzzling - part of the report, however, is in a footnote to the title that refers to the "Occupied Palestinian Territory":

** The designations employed, maps and the presentation of the material in this document do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the United Nations Secretariat concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delineation of its frontiers or boundaries. In accordance with the relevant resolutions and decisions of the General Assembly and Security Council, references to the Occupied Palestinian Territory or territories pertain to the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Use of the term "Palestine" refers to the Palestine Liberation Organization, which established the Palestinian National Authority. References to the "State of Palestine" are consistent with the vision expressed in Security Council resolution 1397 (2002) and General Assembly resolution 67/19 (2012).

It sounds like the UN is saying that, notwithstanding its resolutions, its use of the phrase "Occupied Palestinian Territories" does not mean they are legally occupied, and the word "Palestine" refers to an organization, not a country. Despite this footnote, the report does not refer to the "State of Palestine" once.

This is interesting! It may be as the result of an episode a few years back when UN was once asked if Gaza is considered occupied, and it couldn't give a straight answer.

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Gazans waiting at Rafah crossing

From Al Jazeera:

Egyptian officers are asking for bribes of up to $10,000 from Palestinians in Gaza desperate to leave the besieged coastal enclave, according to Gaza brokers who coordinate the bribe payments, former Palestinian border officials and travellers.

Typically, an adult in Gaza must pay a bribe of $3,000 to get permission from Egypt to cross the border, two Palestinian brokers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Al Jazeera. The brokers said that they took a 20 percent cut of the bribe, sending 80 percent to the Egyptian soldier or officer who coordinated it.

Sometimes, Egyptian officers put the names of Palestinians on a blacklist, declaring them to be a "security threat", both brokers said. The list forbids entrance to Egypt for those whose names are on it, but a $10,000 payment can have it removed.

Occasionally, the Egyptians want bribes paid in goods, not cash, the brokers said.

"Sometimes, they want iPhones or even gold," said one of the brokers, known in Gaza as the "King of the Border" for his ability to get almost anyone across.

The Egyptian government of General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has imposed extreme restrictions on Gaza's Rafah border crossing since the military coup in 2013.

Sisi considers Hamas, the governing body in Gaza, to be an extension of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt - declared a terrorist organisation in 2013 - and has accused Hamas of carrying out attacks on Egyptian soldiers in the Sinai Peninsula. Hamas has repeatedly denied any role in those attacks.

In the first half of 2013, when former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi was in office, an average of 40,816 people crossed between Gaza and Egypt each month. Since Sisi took power, Egyptian officials have rarely opened the border, allowing it to operate for a few days every month or two. This year, the average number of people who cross the border each month is 1,896, according to the Gisha Legal Center for Freedom of Movement, an Israel-based non-profit organisation.

There are about 30,000 cases of people in Gaza needing to urgently travel abroad for humanitarian reasons, many in order to obtain medical care, Gisha spokesperson Shai Grunberg told Al Jazeera.

Mohamed Abu Abdelqader, a cancer patient in southern Gaza, told Al Jazeera that he would soon die if he were unable to go to a hospital in Egypt to receive proper treatment for his condition. But he says he is unable to, as he cannot afford the $2,000-$3,000 bribe to a broker to arrange his travel.

"I don't have the money," the 55-year-old flower farmer said, appearing on the verge of tears.

Hold on - you mean, Egypt is imposing a crippling blockade on Gaza?

It is very rare to read about this in English. Even Gisha, quoted in the article, tries to ignore Egypt's role in Gaza misery (as well as Hamas') in order to keep the focus on Israel almost exclusively.

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