Here is a video showing Arabs learning how to edit Wikipedia entries. (The HP computers are especially interesting.)
The logo behind the operators shows that the office is at the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, an anti-Israel NGO that I believe gets funding from many European nations and other NGOs.
If you look up this program at the Euro-Med Monitor site, you will see that they claim merely that they aim "to improve [Wikipedia] content with information on human rights."
The Euro - Mediterranean office in the Gaza Strip launched in the middle of October a "Wikipedia Palestine" project, in cooperation with the Arab Center for the Development of Social Media, which aims to create a cadre of activists and editors for the encyclopedia "Wikipedia."
Rawan Abu-Assad, who coordinates social media in the Euro - Mediterranean Observatory, talks about the new project: What are the goals of "Wikipedia Palestine" project? "Euro-Mediterranean" is seeking through the project to enrich the content of human rights in the free encyclopedia "Wikipedia", promoting the narrative of victims of Israeli violations in the Palestinian territories to present them before the other party's [Israeli] narrative.
We've seen the work of Euro-Med before, and they are anything but objective, and the only human rights they care about are the ones they can use as weapons against Israel, no matter how absurd the claims.
A couple of years ago there was an uproar when Israelis were teaching activists how to use Wikipedia to help hasbara efforts. You can be sure that there will be no outcry about this, even though the goals are explicitly to bash Israel.
(h/t Ibn Boutros)
UPDATE: An earlier version of this post mixed up the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor and the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network, which are two separate NGOs. I am not yet certain where this group gets its funding from.
We have lots of ideas, but we need more resources to be even more effective. Please donate today to help get the message out and to help defend Israel.
The National Geographic magazine of December 1927 had a very long essay on the Holy Land, with some remarkable color photographs.
Here are the color photos of Jews in Jerusalem from 89 years ago.
Among the black and white photos were these of the Chief Rabbis:
Their photos of Muslims and Christians are no less impressive.
You need to be a subscriber to access their archives.
We have lots of ideas, but we need more resources to be even more effective. Please donate today to help get the message out and to help defend Israel.
Lapid responded to a question that he regarded as hostile from Antony Loewenstein, a Jerusalem- based freelance reporter who writes for the Guardian and other publications.
“You talked before about the idea that since Oslo, Israel has done little or nothing wrong, but the truth is that 2017 is the 50th anniversary of the occupation.
There are now 600,000- 800,000 settlers, all of whom are regarded by international law as illegal, including your good friends in Amona apparently,” Loewenstein’s question began.
“Is there not a deluded idea here that many Israeli politicians, including yourself, continue to believe that one can talk to the world about democracy, freedom and human rights while denying that to millions of Palestinians, and will there not come a time soon, in a year, five years, 10 years, where you and other politicians will be treated like South African politicians during Apartheid?” he asked.
Lapid responded by saying that the question was full of errors and calling it the perfect example of how this is an era that is “post-truth and postfacts.”
“It’s a declared policy of Israel that we need to go to a two-state solution and the ones who refused it were the Palestinians,” Lapid said. “The ones who call Jews pigs and monkeys in their school books are the Palestinians. The problem is that the Palestinians are encouraged by the Guardian and others saying we don’t need to do anything in order to work for our future because the international community will call Israel an apartheid country.”
Lapid said Israel is not an apartheid country but rather a law-abiding democracy, and that unlike the Palestinian leadership, Israel was making sure the Palestinians’ human rights are protected.
“Why don’t you go to the Palestinian Authority or to Gaza and ask them about women’s rights, gay rights, Christian rights,” Lapid told the reporter.
But the CSS report reminds us how Islamist ideology has also motivated terror attacks that specifically targeted Jews. While much of the reporting on the subject of hate crimes has focused on individuals, the report correctly states that the problem here is rooted in ideology. Just as skinhead and neo-Nazi ideas are behind white supremacist attacks, Islamist anti-Semitism that combines age-old religious-based Jew-hatred with resentment of Israel and fuels the efforts of those who have committed violence.
Some of the conclusions contradict conventional wisdom.
One such conclusion is the “critical role of pre-operational surveillance.” Monitoring hotbeds of hate is key to stopping attacks, but, in the effort to avoid accusations of Islamophobia, efforts by law enforcement to keep tabs on radical mosques and other Islamist centers have been abandoned and wrongly branded as acts of prejudice. Without good intelligence, it’s only a matter of time before another major attack might be successful.
Another key point is that attacks on Jews are often precursors to larger incidents in which secular institutions or sites are targeted. It is also true that “lone wolf attacks”—which is how many Islamist terrorist incidents in this country are characterized—are always “lone.” In each case, the attacker received inspiration if not instruction from radical groups. The notion that these are isolated one-off attacks is a delusion that can only lead to more such terrorists slipping through the fingers of law enforcement.
Finally, complacency is “deadly.” The more the country and the Jewish community ignore the source of inspiration for religious-based hate crimes derived from radical Islam and instead concentrate on largely political disputes with no connection to terrorism, the more likely it is that the killers will evade detection. Moreover, the report also makes clear that Jewish institutions need to devote more resources to security.
The CSS should be commended for compiling this report at a time when so much of the discussion about anti-Semitism is divorced from the facts about terrorism. Let’s hope it gets a wide circulation and is taken to heart even by those who are currently muddying the waters on hate with absurd comparisons to Nazi Germany.
These concerns are brought into stark relief by the “No Way to Treat a Child Campaign,” -focusing on Israeli detention practices- coordinated by the organizations Defense for Children International-Palestine (DCI-P) and the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC). Under this framework, these NGOs have held Congressional briefings… Similarly, they encouraged Members of Congress to sign letters critical of Israeli security policy in the West Bank, such as the June 20, 2016 letter accusing Israel of widespread abuse of Palestinian prisoners, initiated by Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.).
Of prime concern are the ties between DCI-P officials and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), designated as a terrorist organization by the US, Canada, EU, and Israel for carrying out suicide bombings, assassinations, airline hijackings and other attacks on Israeli civilians.
These examples demonstrate the cardinal importance of proper vetting when engaging with NGOs claiming to promote human rights agendas. It is not enough to rely on their own portrayal of their activities, nor is it sufficient to review only one sub-section of their stated agenda. Potential partners, employees, and board members must be broadly scrutinized, taking into account the totality of their aims, actions, statements, and affiliations.
In the 1968 PLO Charter, after Fatah dominated the organization, Jerusalem is still not mentioned once.
In Yasir Arafat's 1974 speech to the UN, he demands a single Arab-dominated state to replace Israel, but he does not say that Jerusalem must be its capital.
The earliest mention of east Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state that I could find in an official Arab document was the 1982 Fez Initiative, an Arab peace plan that was ambiguous enough to make it sound like it might have indirectly recognized Israel.
If Jerusalem is so key to the establishment of a Palestinian state, why was this not mentioned before the 1980s?
We have lots of ideas, but we need more resources to be even more effective. Please donate today to help get the message out and to help defend Israel.
Whoever would have thought that manger scenes and mall
Santas could become a topic of contention in America? That saying “Merry
Christmas” is becoming taboo in some circles?
Wow.
I spent the first decade and a half of my life in America.
Most of my neighbors were Christian, not Jewish. They put up Christmas lights
on their houses and had Christmas trees. Some of them even went to midnight
mass on Christmas eve. The stores were full of Christmas music and decorations
and so were the streets.
They were pretty.
I never imagined it would be necessary to discuss this. It
seems so bizarre but as this has become such an issue I, as a Jew, would like
to say to Christians everywhere:
For God’s sake, just say: “Merry Christmas.”
Your holiday doesn’t threaten my identity. If this time of
the year makes you feel more Christian that’s great. You being more Christian doesn’t
make me feel less Jewish.
It would be nice if you could remember that I also have a
holiday at this time of year. It’s called Hanukah (and has nothing to do with
Jesus). For those that don’t know, one wishes Jews a “Happy Hanukah.”
To Christians who wish me a “Merry Christmas” I always
answer: “Thank you. My holiday is called Hanukah but thank you.” The PC police
might see wishing someone the wrong holiday wishes as inappropriate, racist and
an attempt to subjugate a minority to the majority culture. I see it as a
well-intentioned mistake. Really, it’s not a big deal.
If you can’t remember that I have a holiday and that it’s
different from yours, you know what? That doesn’t really matter to me. I don’t
need your recognition in order to know who I am. It would be nice but it’s not
necessary. What you do doesn’t change my identity, my history, my rituals or
traditions. I will remain me and you can remain you.
If anything, as a Jewish person, what I’d like to ask of
Christians everywhere is to use this time of year to remember the true meaning
of Christmas. Do you remember what it is you are supposed to be celebrating? It
has nothing to do with presents or lights or food.
Who gets the best stuff has nothing to do with the promise
that everyone, no matter what they have done in life, can find redemption.
Having enormous family meals often has very little to do with love or
gratitude.
As a Jew, I’d like to ask
Christians everywhere not to focus on what Jews or Muslims or Sikhs or
Buddhists or whoever think of your holiday. Instead focus on what you are doing
with your holiday. What are you teaching your children about Christmas?
If you are teaching them to be
more Christ-like, that’s the best thing I could ask for. The ideas of hope,
loving your fellow man, having compassion for others etc. are eternal. I don’t
have to believe in your Savior to recognize that those are good things to
teach. I don’t have to be Christian to hope that you will teach your children
to be Christ-like or to believe that we’d all be better off if you did so.
I would like to point out that
there is a real War on Christmas and it has nothing to do with Starbucks deciding
to print “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays” on their cups. Or if the cup is
red or green.
The real war on Christmas is
happening in the Middle East, in Africa and in China. It is a war on Christians
who have pledged to follow in the footsteps of the Nazarene: Jesus of Nazareth
(whose Hebrew name was Yehoshua or in English, Joshua). It is a matter of life
and death, not a matter of holiday decorations.
Home in Iraq marked
with the symbol of the Nazarene
The war is against Christians
who are being marked for death because they have refused to submit to the
Islamic State. It is people who are beaten up, ostracized, considered “less
than,” arrested in the dead of night, blown up in their churches and sometimes
even crucified for their faith.
These things are not happening in
the Middle Ages, it’s not a thing of the past, they are happening here and now,
in a number of places around the world.
But
who cares about the Christians of Iraq or Syria or Africa or China when
Starbucks makes an issue out of printing the words: “Merry Christmas”?
Maybe you’ve lost your job or are
sick. Maybe you think that Trump is scary. Everyone has something that is
bothering them in their life. To my Jewish way of thinking it seems that
Christmas season should be a time for Christians to look beyond the issues in
their own lives.
I would hope that you use this
holiday to bring joy to others, to people in your own community less fortunate
than you. Buy presents for the kids in the poor family. Invite a lonely veteran
to have Christmas dinner with your family. There are countless small ways you
can make a big difference… If you do nothing to help others, at least be
grateful for what you have. Your “War on Christmas” is ridiculous compared to
the real war, the war on Christians. Scary is when your neighbors rise up
against you, to kill you. Scary is heads on pikes in the street, executions in
the town square. Everything else is child’s play, the complaints of the overly
satiated.
For God’s sake, just say: “Merry Christmas” and be happy
that you have the freedom to do so. Anyone who has a problem with your choice
of words is free to go curl up in a corner a cry if they like.
I choose to wish my Christian friends a very Merry
Christmas!
I’ll be busy here in Israel, reveling in the miracles of
Hanukah. As a child, I was taught about Hanukah, “a great miracle happened there.”
Now I live in the place where one says: “a great miracle happened here.” This is MY legacy and that’s what I’m going
to focus on.
I certainly won’t be thinking about the people who said
“Happy holidays” vs “Happy Hanukah” vs “Merry Christmas.”
That’s the beauty of freedom.
Thank God, we are still free enough to choose what to focus
on, to choose our own reactions. There are people elsewhere who don’t have that
luxury.
We have lots of ideas, but we need more resources to be even more effective. Please donate today to help get the message out and to help defend Israel.
"We will not recognize Israel because it will inevitably go away. And we will not backtrack on the option of armed struggle until the liberation of all Palestine." — Khalil Al-Haya, Hamas senior official.
The abandonment of Gaza by Israel in 2005 drove the Palestinian vote for Hamas the next year. It also explains why many Palestinians continue to support Hamas -- because they still believe that violence is the way to defeat Israel.
Hamas believes that Israel does not have the right to defend itself against rockets and terror attacks. It even considers Israel's self-defense as an "act of terror."
In yet another sign that exposes Hamas's ongoing preparations to attack Israel, the movement last week held a drill with live ammunition in the northern Gaza Strip.
"What has been achieved so far is a small jihad, and the big jihad is still awaiting us." — Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Abbas is convinced that his "diplomatic jihad" against Israel is no less effective than Hamas's jihad of terrorism.
Yet even if Abbas manages to achieve reconciliation with Hamas, this move should not be seen as sign of pragmatism on the part of the Islamist movement. Under no circumstances will Hamas relinquish its policy of the destruction of Israel and its replacement with an Islamist state.
From Abbas's point of view, Hamas's terrorism will only increase the pressure on Israel to capitulate. Here Abbas has an ally in Hamas: to multiply jihads to force Israel to its knees.
MK Haneen Zoabi (Joint List) made a trip to Jordan in June of 2016 that was funded by a Hamas television network, a Knesset Ethics Committee report revealed.
Ministers are required to report all outside funding for travel to the committee for approval, which is later available for public view online.
The document revealed that Zoabi's trip to Jordan between June 16 to 17 of 2016 was funded by the Palestinian terrorist group's Al-Quds TV.
Al-Quds TV is an Arabic language satellite television channel which is both operated by Hamas and serves as a mouthpiece for the terrorist organization.
According to the Anti-Defemation League, Al-Quds TV is used "to spread its messages promoting terrorism and hatred of Jews and Israelis to a wider audience."
Self-described Liberal Democrat and emeritus professor of law at Harvard University Alan Dershowitz said he fears the liberal media in the U.S. will launch a campaign of “demonization” against President-elect Donald Trump using his personal life, saying that attacks on Trump’s wife and family only serve to undermine democracy.
Addressing a 1000-strong crowd on Monday at an event jointly organized by Globes newspaper and Tel Aviv Internationals, Dershowitz slammed the Israeli press for “relentlessly and mercilessly attacking” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his family on a personal level, calling it “intolerable.”
“I’m afraid that the liberal press, which I’m a part of, will start to demonize Trump in the way that Israel does,” the lawyer said, adding that such behavior on the part of the free press undermines the foundations of democracy and is “disgraceful.”
“You can oppose [his] policies, principles, and political actions, but leave alone his personal life, his wife and family.”
Dershowitz also criticized President Barack Obama for being the only president who has managed to alienate so many leaders in the region, remarking: “Obama alienated the Israelis, the Palestinians, Jordanians, Egyptians, and the Saudis. The only country he didn’t alienate is Iran.”
Dershowitz said that during the Obama administration, it became “obvious” that the stalled peace process between Israel and the Palestinians would not be resumed.
“But I believe that during Trump’s administration it certainly could,” he said.
Muslims are upset that the visiting hours to the Temple Mount for non-Muslims has been extended an additional hour in the mornings. Today the hours that "Jewish extremists" could visit were from 7 to 10:30 AM. Sheikh Ikrima Sabri warned that this is very dangerous. The "settlers" attempted to perform "Talmudic rituals," according to the stories.
Israel is expected to allow some Gazans to work in Israel for the first time since 2000. Reports say that the final details are being worked out, such as how many and if they would be allowed to stay overnight.
Mahmoud Abbas has removed the immunity of some Fatah MPs that oppose him, in preparation to prosecute them for various supposed crimes. the MPs are supporters of Mohammed Dahlan.
Islamic Jihad released a peaceful video for the occasion of Mohammed's birthday.
Arab media reported that there has been a marked decrease in terror attacks ("resistance operations") during November compared to the previous month. Here are the Shin Bet statistics:
Egypt closed the Rafah crossing again after three says of allowing certain people to cross both ways between Egypt and Gaza. The crossing has been open a total of 35 days this year.
We have lots of ideas, but we need more resources to be even more effective. Please donate today to help get the message out and to help defend Israel.
The team went to lunch and the terrorist came in through the window under the direction of Hussam. When the police came 'Alaa, the extremeist' told them 'i ask him to remodel.' He took all our personal items, musical instruments, camera equipment, and many computers. They burnt our bibles and made huge fires with our personal items from the church.
They have been digging tunnels in this area of Damascus Gate for awhile. We witnessed them digging under the Nuseibah home at the bus station. When we caught them digging outside- under the church they threatened to kill us all. The chopped up floor as you can see- the militants may use this to access their tunnels. Over the past years we took pictures of them- while in the church they put a board over my window so i would quit watching them in the night hours. a couple years ago they beat me up and left me for dead in front of the church. I was a prisoner inside the church for 5 1/2 months.
Presently, no matter what we do the police appear to be more afraid of Hussam than we are. Even last tribulation when i got a retraining order against him - his men beat me for getting the order. Even to bring a court order when you hand it over to those in lawlessness- they are not going to respond to it.
The property is owned by ten owners in the Dajani family. Hussam won in court 3% and has violently taken over the property. We as Living Bread International Church have a 20 year lease and have paid our rent by bank wire in advance. Sorry, to say being a Christian- makes your case of little value to men in this land. As we know- when our case reaches the courts of heaven our God will fight for us and HE has never lost a battle. We wait on the Lord - what next Lord?
It seems to be a dispute over who has rights to the building.
I have a feeling we are not hearing the full story, but no matter what, this was a major attack that for some reason went below the radar of virtually every media outlet until yesterday.
We have lots of ideas, but we need more resources to be even more effective. Please donate today to help get the message out and to help defend Israel.
I have a few quibbles, but this speech from Theresa May is a very nice and welcome love letter to Israel.
These Conservative Friends of Israel lunches are always special.
But this year feels extra special. Not only is this CFI’s biggest ever lunch, with over 800 people and over 200 Parliamentarians.
It is the first time that I have come here as Prime Minister and Leader of the Conservative Party.
Balfour Declaration
And it is a special time, for we are entering the centenary year of the Balfour Declaration.
On the 2nd of November 1917, the then Foreign Secretary – a Conservative Foreign Secretary – Arthur James Balfour wrote:
“His Majesty’s Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.”
It is one of the most important letters in history.
It demonstrates Britain’s vital role in creating a homeland for the Jewish people.
And it is an anniversary we will be marking with pride.
Visiting
Born of that letter, and the efforts of so many people, is a remarkable country.
No-one is saying the path has been perfect – or that many problems do not remain.
Of course, people are correct when they say that securing the rights of Palestinians and Palestinian statehood have not yet been achieved.
But we know they can be achieved. We in Britain stand very firmly for a two-state solution. And we know that the way to achieve that is for the two sides to sit down together, without preconditions, and work towards that lasting solution for all their people.
None of this detracts from the fact that we have, in Israel, a thriving democracy, a beacon of tolerance, an engine of enterprise and an example to the rest of the world for overcoming adversity and defying disadvantages.
As most of us here know – and as I realised during my visit in 2014 – seeing is believing.
For it is only when you walk through Jerusalem or Tel Aviv that you see a country where people of all religions and sexualities are free and equal in the eyes of the law.
It is only when you travel across the country that you realise it is only the size of Wales – and appreciate even more the impact it has on the world.
It is only when you meet our partners in eradicating modern slavery – one of the main reasons I visited in 2014 – that you see a country committed to tackling some of the world’s most heinous practices.
And it is only when you witness Israel’s vulnerability that you see the constant danger Israelis face, as I did during my visit, when the bodies of the murdered teenagers, Naftali Frenkel, Gilad Shaer and Eyal Yifrah, were discovered.
So seeing isn’t just believing; it is understanding, acknowledging and appreciating.
That is why I’m so pleased that CFI has already taken 34 of the 74 Conservative MPs elected in 2015 to Israel.
We saw in that video what a powerful experience it can be. We are so grateful to the people in this room for making it happen – but, of course, there is more to do.
Our Global Future
We meet at a moment of great change for our country. In the wake of the referendum, Britain is forging a new role for itself on the world stage – open, outward-looking, optimistic.
Israel will be crucial to us as we do that. Because I believe our two countries have a great deal in common.
As the Ambassador Mark Regev said, we have common values; we work together, on health, counter-terrorism, cyber security, technology; and we can help each other achieve our aims.
Economic (Trade and Investment)
First, we both want to take maximum advantage of trade and investment opportunities, because we know enterprise is the key to our countries’ prosperity.
Our economic relationship is already strong.
The UK is Israel’s second-largest trading partner.
We are its number-one destination for investment in Europe, with more than 300 Israeli companies operating here.
And last year saw our countries’ biggest-ever business deal, worth over £1 billion, when Israeli airline El Al decided to use Rolls Royce engines in its new aircraft.
We should celebrate that, we should build on that – and we should condemn any attempt to undermine that through boycotts.
I couldn’t be clearer: the boycotts, divestment and sanctions movement is wrong, it is unacceptable, and this party and this government will have no truck with those who subscribe to it.
Our focus is the opposite – on taking our trading and investing relationship with Israel to the next level.
That is why one of the first places Mark Garnier visited as a minister in the Department for International Trade was Israel.
It’s why other ministers plan to visit in the New Year.
We have the captains of British business and industry here in the audience, from a range of sectors, who will be vital to that effort.
I can assure them, and everyone here, that the UK is striving to be the world’s foremost advocate of free trade, working with a range of partners such as India, Norway and New Zealand to achieve that.
I am looking forward to adding Israel to the list – once again, working together to achieve our aims.
International (Global Obligations)
Second, we both take our global obligations seriously.
As I have said, Israel does a huge amount for the rest of the world.
I think of the injured Syrians appearing at night at the Israeli border and being taken in and given treatment in hospital.
I think of the Israeli field hospital, which has saved lives from Nepal to Haiti, recently being rated the best in history by the World Health Organisation.
And I think of the project “Save a Child’s Heart”, which, as you saw in that video, conducts heart operations for children who would never be able to afford the treatment.
This is Israel at its best.
And there was one man who did so much to inspire this spirit of service, a man whose death we mourn this year: Shimon Peres.
Britain is proud to meet its moral obligations too, fulfilling our commitment to spend 0.7 per cent of our national income on aid.
Lives are being saved right now because of it.
But part of that duty is making sure the funds go to the right places.
Let me be clear: no British taxpayers’ money will be used to make payments to terrorists or their families.
It is right that Priti Patel has called for an examination of aid spending in the Occupied Palestinian Territories to ensure that every penny is spent in the right places and in the right way.
And she is looking at options for the UK to support co-existence projects in the region – something I know so many people in this room have called for.
We are determined to get the right help to those who need it most – and I pay tribute to Priti for leading that work.
When talking about global obligations, we must be honest with our friends, like Israel, because that is what true friendship is about.
That is why we have been clear about building new, illegal settlements: it is wrong; it is not conducive to peace; and it must stop.
Social (Tolerance and Opportunity)
Third, both our countries are working to build fair, tolerant and meritocratic societies.
Indeed, that is the driving mission of the government I lead: to build a country that works for everyone, not just a privileged few.
As I have said, Israel guarantees the rights of people of all religions, races and sexualities, and it wants to enable everyone to flourish.
Our aim in Britain is the same: to create a better, fairer society, helping everyone to reach as far as their talents will allow.
That is why we should be so proud of the contribution Britain’s Jewish communities make to our country. From business to the arts, public services to education, that contribution is exemplary.
In order to help people of all backgrounds reach their potential, we need to remove the barriers that stand in their way – and that includes bigotry, discrimination and hatred.
Let me be clear: it is unacceptable that there is anti-Semitism in this country.
It is even worse that incidents are reportedly on the rise.
And it is disgusting that these twisted views are being found in British politics.
Of course, I am talking mainly about the Labour Party and their hard-left allies
In fact, I understand this lunch has a lot to live up to after the extraordinary scenes at the Labour Friends of Israel event.
It began, unusually, with Tom Watson giving a full-throated rendition of Am Yisrael Hai.
The audience joined in as his baritone voice carried across the hall.
“Am Yisrael Hai – the people of Israel live.” It is a sentiment that everybody in this room wholeheartedly agrees with.
But let me say this: no amount of karaoke can make up for turning a blind eye to anti-Semitism.
No matter what Labour say – or sing – they cannot ignore what has been happening in their party.
Anti-Semitism should have no place in politics and no place in this country.
And I am proud to lead a party that takes the firmest stand against it.
As a government we are making a real difference.
Indeed, when I was Home Secretary we took what I believe was an important step in gauging a truer picture of the problem, requiring all police forces to record religious hate crimes separately, by faith.
And I made sure we kept extremism – including the sort that peddles anti-Semitic vitriol – out of our country.
That is why I said no to so-called comedians like Dieudonne coming to Britain.
It’s why I stopped Pamela Geller, Robert Spencer and Pastor Terry Jones coming too – since Islamophobia comes from the same wellspring of hatred.
It is why I kicked out Abu Hamza and Abu Qatada as well.
And it is why I brought together internet companies and government to tear down the poisonous propaganda that infects minds online.
Today I want to announce how we are going even further.
In response to the work of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, Britain will be adopting a formal definition of anti-Semitism.
Just last week, we were at the forefront to try to ensure that the definition was adopted across the continent too, at the summit of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe.
The result was 56 countries in favour. One country opposed it: Russia. But, as I said, we will adopt it here in the UK.
That means there will be one definition of anti-Semitism – in essence, language or behaviour that displays hatred towards Jews because they are Jews – and anyone guilty of that will be called out on it.
And we have to thank someone who has worked tooth and nail to get that agreed. He’s our Parliamentary chairman; he’s my Post-Holocaust Issues Envoy; and he’s a stalwart of our party: Sir Eric Pickles.
And let us pay tribute to Sajid Javid too, for all his work in this ground-breaking step towards eradicating anti-Semitism.
Of course, as the people of Israel know, there is no better way of stopping the wrongs of the past being repeated than remembering where hatred can lead.
I have visited Yad Vashem. I remember standing in the Hall of Names – gazing up at all those victims’ pictures – and then looking down into the abyss and thinking of the millions more who were murdered.
It is an experience which is unforgettable – the closest thing we have to conveying what happened and why we must never repeat it.
That is why I am continuing David Cameron’s vision to build a National Memorial to the Holocaust next to Parliament, together with an accompanying educational centre, which will include the first-hand testimony of Britain’s Holocaust survivors.
The design competition for the memorial and centre has had almost 100 entries from teams stretching across 26 different countries.
I look forward to unveiling the short-listed designs next month when we mark Holocaust Memorial Day.
For we must honour our promise to Britain’s Holocaust survivors; we must never forget the Holocaust; and we must teach every generation to fight hatred and prejudice in all its forms.
Conclusion
When we talk about our countries achieving our aims together, that isn’t just for the good of Israel and Britain; it’s for the good of the world.
When our scientists come together, they are working to cure diseases that affect millions of people.
When we work together on our mutual security at the highest level, it makes the world safer.
When we increase trade and investment with one another, it brings more opportunities and prosperity to the wider world.
It is that collaboration that this organisation, CFI, so wonderfully celebrates and builds upon.
I want to end by wishing you well for something else Britain and Israel will be shortly collaborating on.
For Christmas and Chanukah fall at the same time this year.
So as we light up our trees and menorahs; sing Silent Night and Ma’oz Tsur; cook the turkey and the latkes, let us look to 2017 with gratitude and optimism.
So Happy Christmas, Happy Chanukah – and a Happy New Year to you all.
Thank you.
I wish Great Britain's voting record in the UN would reflect May's words.
(h/t Yoel)
We have lots of ideas, but we need more resources to be even more effective. Please donate today to help get the message out and to help defend Israel.
Reader Josh K. saw this olive oil at a local store, with pictures of "Palestinian" cities Haifa, Acre and Tiberias.
Not Ramallah. Not Jenin. Not Gaza City. Only cities in Israel.
What a coincidence!
By the way, the company is in Canada. So most of the profits go to Canadian squatters on indigenous peoples' land.
We have lots of ideas, but we need more resources to be even more effective. Please donate today to help get the message out and to help defend Israel.
The video turned over to us by the district (for which I had to pay by court order) did a sloppy job redacting faces and names, so I hired a video editor to do a better job. The video of student discussions below is the result of our more thorough blurring of faces and removal of names, even though that was the district’s responsibility. We went to these efforts, at substantial expense, because we view the children subjected to the Tamimi event as victims of manipulation by the adults involved.
The Court order also said that the school district “may” muffle student voices if the voices revealed identity, but the School District did not do so. The first video turned over by the district was a short video of the Janna Jihad video being played to the class. Bassem Tamimi is sitting to the left of the screen. He starts by stating: “[Janna Jihad in the video is] Eight years old
This is the message for the world and from the Palestinian children”
The second, and main video, is a class discussion after the formal presentation was over. While we don’t have video of the full presentation, you can see the themes mentioned in documents repeated by the students, particularly the “wall” (the security barrier), how families suffer, how Israel is wrong and Palestinians are right, and how only Palestinian children suffer. There was no discussion, from anything we have seen, about the suffering of Israeli children at the hands of Palestinian terrorists, such as Bassem Tamimi’s cousin Ahlem Tamimi. Ahlem masterminded the Sbarro Pizza suicide bombing, is a hero among the Tamimi clan in Nabi Saleh, and Bassem Tamimi has refused to denounce her.
While I think the whole discussion was inappropriate for third graders, if the school was going to hold an educational event, it would have been good to talk not only about Janna Jihad, but also about Malki Roth who was killed in the Sbarro Pizza massacre by Bassem Tamimi’s cousin. It also could have been explained that the “wall” was built only after dozens of other children (and several hundred other civilians) were killed by Palestinian suicide bombers, and that the wall protects children. As to Gaza, the brutality of Hamas could have been mentioned, and the Israeli attacks put in the context of relentless Hamas rocket fire even after Israel accepted an Egyptian ceasefire proposal.
There is no evidence in what has been released of a balanced presentation. That there was no attempt at balance or explanation shows that this was a political propaganda event. The emotions of young children were manipulated by adults in positions of power and authority, and who occupied positions of trust. In the video, you can see how heavily teacher Burnett pushed the students to view Israel negatively and to accept what the students had just been shown.
Activists manipulate third-graders into hating Israel
Conclusion
Through the backdoor of an unreciprocated concern for the "other," educated Westerners have allowed a hostile, bullying, honor-shame discourse to take over much of their public space: "Islamophobia," not Islamism, is the problem; Palestinians continue to save face and regain public honor by besmirching Israel, which, by its very existence and success, shames them; while so many social justice warriors, consumed with post-colonial guilt and fearful of the "Islamophobic" label, join forces with the "honor-brigade" in driving Israel beyond the pale.
In the larger picture of civilizational development, this is lamentable. It took a millennium of constant and painful efforts for Western culture to learn how to sublimate man's libido dominandi to the point of creating a society tolerant of diversity, one that resolved disputes with a discourse of fairness rather than violence, and one where positive-sum encounters are a desired norm. To insist, as many liberals do, that this exceptional achievement be considered the default mode for mankind regardless of how far the "other" is from this cherished goal, and to exempt enemies of democracy from the civic responsibility of self-criticism even while redoubling its burden on oneself, is to undermine the freedoms Western civilization has built up over centuries.
Unless and until academics and information professionals reclaim and till fields like honor-shame dynamics and Islamist triumphalism, Westerners will not be able to understand Arab and Islamic societies and will continue to indict the critic, not the legitimate target of criticism, at great peril to their democratic values and national interests. The inability to engage in self-criticism is the greatest weakness of honor-shame cultures, and the ability to do so is the greatest strength of those committed to integrity. Yet, now, astonishingly, the inability is strength, and our over-eagerness to compensate, our weakness.
Corey Gil-Shuster, 47, is a Canadian-born Israeli who has published over 500 videos on this YouTube channel in the last four years. As the creator of “The Ask Project,” every week he travels in Israel and the West Bank interviewing people on both sides of the conflict. “It’s seeking the truth. It started in that way. It was really about showing, first of all, what people think. And then, for me it’s very important to know what is reality and what isn’t,” said Gil-Shuster.
Gil-Shuster randomly stops people in the street or elsewhere and tries to talk with them. If they consent to being filmed with his small camera, he asks them questions that he receives from his YouTube followers from all over the world.
The funding for the project mainly comes out of Gil-Shuster’s own pocket, and he has no intention of stopping. Since 2012 he has interviewed more than 3,000 Israelis and Palestinians. His aim, when he can afford to, is to create a documentary about the project. “With this project, people have the opportunity to hear from the side they disagree with, and to humanize it,” said Gil-Shuster.
The Fifth Committee of the United Nations is set to decide next week whether to allocate funds to ensure that a motion by the body’s Human Rights Council to create a “blacklist” of companies operating in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights can be implemented.
The Human Rights Council motion had passed in March with no countries voting against. The resolution required UN human rights officials to produce a database of “all business enterprises” that have enabled or profited from the growth of Israeli settlements, Haaretz reported.
The proposal, put forward by the Palestinian Authority and Arab states, included a condemnation of settlements and called on companies not to do business with Israeli settlements.
Haaretz, last Thursday, had a long and laudatory interview with the editor of Palestinian newspaper Al Quds. The article noted that the editorial offices of the newspaper are in the Atarot Industrial Zone in "East Jerusalem."
Palestinians consider Atarot (which was a Jewish community before 1948) to be an "illegal settlement." Yet the Al Quds newspaper has no problem having its offices in this Israeli industrial park, which means that it is profiting from Israeli settlements.
Will the UN go after Al Quds, and the many other Arab-owned businesses in Atarot and similar industrial zones? Will it go after Shweiki Glass which sold products to the Jerusalem light rail project?
Or is it only the businesses that are owned by Jews that fall under this blacklist?
We have lots of ideas, but we need more resources to be even more effective. Please donate today to help get the message out and to help defend Israel.
This blog may be a labor of love for me, but it takes a lot of effort, time and money. For 20 years and 40,000 articles I have been providing accurate, original news that would have remained unnoticed. I've written hundreds of scoops and sometimes my reporting ends up making a real difference. I appreciate any donations you can give to keep this blog going.
The Hamas wall of defense
-
Dry Bones Golden Oldies in the fond memory of Yaakov Kirschen (Dry Bones)
by Sali, the LSW
This is sadly from 2009. Not much has changed.
There are so ...
The NUJ is hostile to Jewish journalists
-
For several years I had a press card to provide a layer of security while
covering hostile street protests. My recent experience with the National
Union ...
HR on X: Our Top Posts for June 2025
-
With an ever-growing social media presence, HonestReporting is active on X
(Twitter), where the journalists, opinion formers and influencers are. Here
are ...
One Choice: Fight to Win
-
Yesterday Israel preempted a potentially disastrous attack by Hezbollah on
the center of the country. Thirty minutes before launch time, our aircraft
destr...
Closing Jews Down Under Website
-
With a heavyish heart I am closing down the website after ten years.
It is and it isn’t an easy decision after 10 years of constant work. The
past...
‘Test & Trace’ is a mirage
-
Lockdown II thoughts: Day 1 Opposition politicians have been banging on
about the need for a ‘working’ Test & Trace system even more loudly than
the govern...
Wednesday, December 14, 2016
Elder of Ziyon
