Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Friday, March 10, 2017

03/10 Links Pt1: Col. Kemp: Gaza Report is Mistaken criticism; PA law “murders women twice”

From Ian:

I was in Israel throughout Operation Protective Edge in Gaza in 2014 and monitored the campaign as closely as someone outside the official machinery could do. Having been involved in the direction of conflict from the top level of government down to command on the ground in Afghanistan, Iraq, the Balkans and Northern Ireland, I believe this highly complex and demanding operation, fought under an intensely critical international spotlight, was conducted effectively and with the best possible outcome.
To argue that the war could have been avoided is to simply ignore the diplomatic and political efforts made over several years to do just that, not only by the Israeli government and its ambassadors but also by supporters around the world, including the Friends of Israel Initiative of which I am a member. It is to ignore the actions of international governments and organizations like the U.N. and EU that encouraged terrorist acts against Israel and still do. And it is to ignore the malign intransigence and motivations of Hamas itself and its supporters such as Iran, which are hellbent on the destruction of the Jewish state.
Of course errors were made, as they always are in war. Winston Churchill himself readily admitted making many mistakes in the prosecution of World War II. But to a large extent due to his courage, judgment and leadership, Britain and its allies ultimately defeated their enemies in the most lethal conflagration mankind has ever known.

Caroline Glick: The rise of the networked Left

The claim of course, is ridiculous. There is a world of difference between freedom of expression and freedom of action. When students harass and shout down speakers with whom they disagree, they are not exercising freedom of speech. They are denying the freedom of speech of others.
When BDS operatives coerce university administrations and corporations to divest from Israel and ban Israelis from campuses, they are not exercising free speech. They are engaging in economic and cultural warfare against Israel.
Rather than recognize the distinction, major Jewish groups have embraced the antisemites’ false defense, internalizing the notion that opposing the onslaught against the community is tantamount to opposing freedom of speech.
So for instance, two major American Jewish groups harshly criticized the Knesset’s recently passed law banning BDS operatives from entering Israel. The American Jewish Committee and the Anti-Defamation League issued statements claiming the move is a blow to free speech.
The riots against Murray and Yiannopoulis alerted non-Jewish Americans to the intellectual and moral decay of their campuses. It is possible that in moving beyond the safe confines of antisemitism – now largely accepted on campuses – the Left has gone too far. Perhaps its wings will be clipped.
But given the Jewish community’s inability to understand, let alone defend against, the campaign being waged against it, it is likely that even if the networked Left curbs its assaults on non-Jewish non-leftists, it will continue and escalate its campaign against Jews and the Jewish state.

PMW: PA law “murders women twice”

Palestinian women's right group outraged that rapists and murderers of women receive reduced sentences
Women's rights activist: "In 95% of the murders of women in Palestine, the [victim's] personal right is waived."
"Many of the murders in Palestine that were perpetrated due to inheritance or political arguments are altered to cases of 'honor' in order to reduce the punishment."
Palestinian women's rights groups are demanding the revocation of an article of Palestinian Authority law that they say allows criminals to get away with murder. According to Article 99 of Penal Law No. 16 of 1960, the family of a murder victim is permitted to "waive its personal right" to justice and forgive the crime. In such cases, the length and severity of punishment is significantly reduced.
However, given that the vast majority of violence against Palestinian women is domestic, the family of the murder victim is often the family of the murderer as well. Thus, the Palestinian Director of the Women's Courts Project in the TAM organization Victoria Shukri explained, "In 95% of the murders of women in Palestine, the [victim's] personal right is waived."

Here is how the official Palestinian Wafa news agency reported the meeting between Mahmoud Abbas and the leaders of the Union for Reform Judaism:

President Mahmoud Abbas Thursday told a delegation from the Jewish reform movement in the United States that Israel’s persistence in settlement construction in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem obstructs peace efforts.

“Israel’s persistence in settlement construction as well as its policy of killing, home demolitions, detentions and raids obstructs initiating a serious peace process leading to an end to the Israeli occupation,” he told the delegation from the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) who met him at the presidential headquarters in Ramallah.

Abbas affirmed to his guests the Palestinian leadership’s commitment to achieving a comprehensive and just peace based on relevant UN Security Council resolutions, the two-state solution and the Arab Peace Initiative in order to establish an independent and sovereign Palestinian state on pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The URJ delegation stressed their full support to the two-state solution to the decades-old Palestinian-Israeli conflict and justice to the Palestinian people through Palestinian statehood.

They slammed Israeli settlement construction as an obstacle to the peace process.

From the Palestinian perspective, this meeting was a success. They spread propaganda and the Reform Jews helped them. In fact, they amplified them for him in Israeli media:

“I was impressed with the president’s clear and unequivocal commitment to the two-state solution,” [URJ President Rick] Jacobs said in a statement. “He clearly is frustrated with the lack of progress, or even the existence of ongoing negotiations. I share that frustration."

Meaning, they are telling the world that Abbas is more interested in peace than Netanyahu.

Yeah, they brought up incitement against Jews and Abbas deftly told them that Israel is just as bad. That shut them up, because they only know what they read in the New York Times.

It is still amazing to me how clueless some Jewish leaders are not to realize that they are being used as pawns by those who stress every day how they want to destroy Israel while mouthing their support for a "two state solution" - where both states are Arab.

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TOI reports that the water level of the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) are the lowest in a century.

Parts of northern Israel experienced the driest February since records began, the Water Authority reported Tuesday, with officials saying that the Sea of Galilee was now at its lowest level in a century.

Israel’s most important natural water source — also known at Lake Kinneret — received just 10 percent of its average rainfall for February, rising by just 22 centimeters (8.5 inches), far below the average for that month of 60 centimeters (23.5 inches).

(This chart seems to indicate that levels were even lower in 2009 and 2002.)

Muslims are very keen in hearing news like this.

It seems that one of the signs of the emergence of the Dajjal, an antichrist figure in Islamic eschatology, is the Kinneret drying up, based on a bizarre hadith.

Here are all of the signs of the impending arrival of the Dajjal, to be followed by the Mahdi messiah figure:

Drying up of Sea of Galilee.
When date-palm trees of Baisan (Bet She'an) stop bearing fruit.
Worship of Satan becomes common.
The sun will rise from the place it usually sets.
The conquest of Constantinople (modern day Istanbul, Turkey) by the Islamic Caliphate.

When the sun rises in the west, then it may be time to be worried.

(h/t Ibn Boutros)

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NYT lies about Israeli anti-BDS law

The New York Times editorial page says:

A new Israeli law, approved Monday, will bar entry to any foreigner who supports the B.D.S. movement (boycott, divestment and sanctions) against Israel for its occupation of the West Bank. It’s a strong statement by the Israeli right wing, intended to characterize supporters of the movement as enemies of Israel.

No doubt there are haters of Israel among B.D.S. supporters. But there are also many strong supporters of the Israeli state, including many American Jews, who ardently oppose the occupation of the West Bank and who boycott products of the Israeli settlements in occupied territories.

[The law] should be condemned by all who value Israel’s tradition of debate and dissent and who support the search for a lasting peace.

From reading the editorial, one would think that Israel is banning any critics of Israeli settlement policy.

But the actual text says it may ban anyone “who knowingly issues a public call for boycotting Israel that, given the content of the call and the circumstances in which it was issued, has a reasonable possibility of leading to the imposition of a boycott – if the issuer was aware of this possibility.”

In other words, the law would apply to those who are prominent advocates of boycotting Israel and whose calls to boycott Israel can influence others, not anyone who decides on their own to stop using settlement products or who is a critic of Israeli policy as the Times pretends.

The editorial also says "The United States, Israel’s strongest military supporter, has consistently held that settlement building in the occupied territories is illegal and detrimental to seeking a lasting peace." This is also false, The public position of the US, both the White House and the State Department between the 1980s and the UN vote last December, was that the settlements were an obstacle to peace - but the language of legality was studiously avoided.

It is Orwellian that the New York Times has been advertising how important the "truth" is yet it so easily twists the truth for its readers.

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Google Street View shows Solomon's Temple on the Temple Mount

One of the 360-degree views of the Temple Mount on Google Maps is the Temple of Solomon.

I don't know whether this would be considered a hack or not, but it has been there since November and it is pretty cool.

It even includes a picture of the Kohen Gadol (High Priest).

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03/09 Links Pt2: Swiss Parliament Calls for End to Govt. Funding for BDS NGOs; HA! Linda Sarsour Arrested For Disorderly Conduct

From Ian:

Swiss legislature passes bill to stop funding for boycotts of Israel

Switzerland’s National Council – the lower chamber of the legislature – passed a bill on Wednesday to stop government funding of organizations that promote boycotts of Israel and spread antisemitism and racism.
The measure will be submitted in May to the Council of States, the upper chamber of the legislature, which will decide whether it becomes law.
Olga Deutsch, director of the Jerusalem-based NGO Monitor’s Europe Desk, told The Jerusalem Post: “Today’s positive developments in Switzerland mark a milestone in seriously countering BDS campaigns, antisemitism and hatred, by equating them in the motion. The motion sets an important precedent. NGO Monitor was instrumental in providing details to Swiss decision-makers regarding their government’s funding of organizations that oppose official Swiss foreign policy, such as NGOs that propagate anti-normalization, BDS, and one-state frameworks.”
She added, “This is a perfect opportunity for Israeli and European officials to capitalize on the Swiss example and work together on guidelines and evaluation mechanisms that contribute to positive change in addressing this serious issue.”
The measure was introduced by Christian Imark, a National Council deputy from the conservative Swiss People’s Party. It passed 111- 78. (h/t Zvi)

Swiss Parliament Calls for End to Government Funding for BDS NGOs

NGO Monitor welcomes today’s vote in the Swiss Parliament calling on the government to “amend the laws, ordinances and regulations so that Switzerland can no longer subsidize, even indirectly, development cooperation projects carried out by NGOs involved in racist, antisemitic or hate incitement actions, or in BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) campaigns.”
Olga Deutsch, Director of NGO Monitor’s Europe Desk said, “Today’s positive developments in Switzerland are an important precedent in seriously countering BDS campaigns, antisemitism, and hatred. NGO Monitor was instrumental in providing details on the Swiss government’s funding of organizations that propagate anti-peace, anti-normalization, BDS, and one-state policies.
This vote, and similar parliamentary initiatves in Europe demonstrate the importance of cooperation and dialogue on the NGO and BDS funding issue. Knesset members should work alongside their European counterparts on guidelines and evaluation mechanisms that contribute to positive change in addressing this serious issue.”
As a research institute that deals with government funding to NGOs active in the Arab-Israeli conflict, NGO Monitor provided detailed and fully referenced information to Swiss decision makers and media throughout the past year, leading to today’s motion.
In particular, the parliamentary vote focused on Swiss government funding to NGOs directly through the Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law Secretariat (managed by the Institute of Law at Birzeit University (IoL-BZU) in Ramallah and the NIRAS consulting firm in Sweden). This framework provides core-funding to organizations, some of which are directly affiliated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a terrorist group designated as such by the U.S., EU, Canada, and Israel.

David Collier: UCLUFOP, witch hunts, intimidation and antisemitism

Last night at UCL there was an event hosted by the UCLU Friends of Palestine Society (UCLUFOP). The speaker was Ilan Pappe and the title for the talk was ‘am I an antisemite’? The event was set up as part of a general trend in anti-Israel activism: To find extremist Jews who are willing to deflect accusations of antisemitism and provide an umbrella for all manner of Jew hatred. The event went on to highlight so much of what is wrong with anti-Israel activism on campus.
The event began with a banner on display and ended with an exchange outside the campus hall. In between were several items that I wish to mention:
The ‘welcoming’ UCLUFOP banner contains the term “you just have to be human”. It was placed at the front of the hall, next to where the speaker and Chair sat.
I have problems with the phrase expressed in the banner. What does it mean? That to oppose the political position put forward by this group, makes a person non-human? That to side with Israel does the same? Apparently, my self-identification as a Zionist, a Jew who supports Jewish self-determination and a right to statehood renders me a ‘non-human’ on the UCL campus. So, what am I – a rat or an insect? How are Jewish Zionist students on campus allowed to be so publicly de-humanised? Is nobody paying attention?
The speaker
Much has been written on Ilan Pappe and his aversion to historicity. He has been caught on camera visibly accepting historical distortion to protect his ideology. What is beyond debate is to say he is seen by Jewish Zionists as a highly offensive figure. To invite him as an expert fit to ‘define’ antisemitism at an event at the UCL campus is disgraceful. I cannot imagine UCL permitting a speaker viewed by Muslims as highly offensive being allowed on campus to define anti-Muslim hatred.
That Ilan Pappe was chosen to lead this event was a provocative act. That this event dealt with providing a cover for Jew hatred was unforgivable. This, on a campus where anti-Israel activity has been seen to be violent, anti-democratic and in opposition to the basic elements of free speech.

Newest "Apartheid?" poster

As the month-long "week" continues, I continue to show that it is based on lies.

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Vic Rosenthal's Weekly Column

This week the Knesset passed a law that enables the Interior Ministry to deny entry into the country to non-citizens without residency permits who are supporters of boycott-divestment-sanctions (BDS) against Israel. The law does not distinguish between boycotts of all of Israel, or those that relate only to Judea and Samaria. It allows the Interior Minister to make exceptions in individual cases.

The usual suspects have expressed their opposition for the usual reasons.

MK Tamar Zandberg (Meretz) said, “We’re talking about a law that is against freedom of expression, that constitutes political censorship and is meant to silence people. It’s ostensibly against the boycotters of Israel but it doesn’t make a distinction between Israel and the settlements and it thus serves the BDS movement.”

Peace Now said the ban is "neither Jewish nor democratic" and "a clear violation of freedom of expression. Through this law the Bennetyahu [sic] government will not prevent boycott but rather, deteriorate Israel's international standing and lead Israel towards international isolation."

And Rabbi Rick Jacobs of the Union for Reform Judaism said, “It’s going to be a giant sign up by the door of the Jewish state: ‘Don’t come unless you agree with everything we’re doing here.’ I don’t know what kind of democracy makes that statement.”

There are plenty more where those came from. So let’s get a few things straight.

First of all, a sovereign state gets to decide which non-citizens may cross its borders. Period. There is no internationally recognized human right to enter any country one wishes. And the state’s decisions can be based on whatever criteria it chooses. There is no requirement that the rights applicable to residents of the country also apply to non-residents who want to enter it.

Second, the law doesn’t limit free expression. Nobody is prevented from advocating BDS inside Israel or outside of it. It simply keeps out people who have expressed opinions that, in the judgment of the state, are a good indication of intent to harm the state.

Indeed, if it were only about advocating boycotts, it is unlikely that the law would have been passed. But BDS supporters have a history of joining anti-state demonstrations inside Israel, using their status as foreigners as a shield against punishment if they engage in illegal behavior. BDS supporters have entered the country in order to try to provoke violence from security personnel, to embarrass the state, and to create propaganda events.

The BDS movement has a purpose, and that is to delegitimize Israel as a sovereign state. The movement makes demands that could not be possibly met without dismantling the Jewish state (e.g., a “right of return” for the descendents of Arab refugees), and calls for Israel’s excommunication from the world community unless they are met. BDS is part of a program of “cognitive warfare” against the Jewish state that is intended to weaken it and isolate it from all external support – so that it will be easier to destroy it.

Third, the law is not “undemocratic.” It doesn’t limit the rights of Israeli citizens in any way. The law itself was passed by the democratically elected Knesset in a democratic vote of 46 to 28 members.

Several of its opponents have objected to the law on the grounds that it does not distinguish between boycotts of products or residents of the whole country, or just of the disputed territories. But the Knesset members who drew and voted for the law felt that any boycott, even a partial one, promotes delegitimization of the state. Residents of Judea and Samaria are no less Israelis and their rights are as important as those of residents of Tel Aviv.

Israel has a very special problem which I think Americans in particular fail to understand – possibly because they live in an enormous and mighty (economically and militarily) country. Israel is always under attack for its very existence, both by continuous terrorism and periodic war, and by cognitive warfare – which includes psychological warfare, propaganda, “lawfare,” and other means to destabilize and disrupt the country itself, and to drive away or disconnect it from external sources of support.

For at least two decades, our enemies – particularly European countries who think a Jewish state should never have been created – have been pumping millions of Euros and dollars into “Israeli” organizations operating inside our country and international “human rights” groups which, with the help of media friendly to them, carry out cognitive warfare against us. One of their techniques is to send operatives here who cooperate with Arab militants in demonstrations and other activities. As I mentioned above, they use their status as foreigners to shield them from the consequences of illegal behavior; at worst they are deported. Then they return to their home countries and “testify” to the conditions of oppression under which the Arabs live in the land of Israel.

I don’t know if such tactics have ever been employed against the US, or if they could be. But they have been very damaging to Israel. And that is why the Knesset has passed a (weak) law to partly control foreign-funded organizations operating here, and why it is important to keep foreign agents out.

I have a particular problem with the Union for Reform Judaism in the US and its leader, Rabbi Rick Jacobs, who consistently attack Israel as being less than perfectly “democratic,” in relation to women, Arabs, and minorities of all kinds. He particularly opposes Israel’s reluctance to implement a 2-state solution (and thereby turn itself into an indefensible island in a sea of enemies). Jacobs likes to threaten that if we don’t accept his version of what it is to be Jewish and democratic, American Jews will withdraw their support. The implication is clear that he knows what is good for us better than we and our democratically elected government (and especially the Prime Minister!) do.

Jacobs seems to feel so strongly about the rights of non-residents to oppose the Jewish state that in 2010 he participated in a demonstration against Jewish “settlers” in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of Jerusalem, and then bragged about it to his congregation in a Yom Kippur sermon. He has also tried to play the 800-pound gorilla in the recent controversy surrounding the status of women and mixed prayer at the Western Wall.

The law permitting Israel to refuse entry to BDS supporters is no more or less than an assertion of sovereignty, the very sovereignty that is so aggressively denied by Hamas – and more politely by Rabbi Jacobs. It is a sort of “Iron Dome” against agents of cognitive warfare, and it is about time we had one.

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03/09 Links Pt1: Haley: Palestinians Must Stop Incitement, Engage in Direct Peace Talks With Israel; Kerry's knee-capping of Israel

From Ian:

One year ago American student and veteran Taylor Force stabbed to death by Palestinian Terrorist

When anti-Israel students on campus chant “Long Live the Intifada,” remember Taylor Force.
The Taylor Force Act proposed legislation seeks to cut off funds from the Palestinian Authority for its policy of paying the families of terrorists. The Free Beacon reports on the reintroduction of the legislation:
The White House is signaling its support for a new congressional effort to cut all U.S. funding to the Palestinian Authority due to its continued support of terrorism against Israelis and Americans, according to senior lawmakers and senior White House officials.
Leading lawmakers in the House and Senate gathered Tuesday on Capitol Hill to introduce legislation that would cut all U.S. funding to the Palestinian government, which has been criticized for providing financial incentives to terrorists who kill American and Israeli civilians.
The White House signaled its support for the legislation in a vast departure from the Obama administration, which worked against similar efforts when in power.
The murder of Taylor Force was part of what became known as the “Knife Intifada,” in which stabbings became the hallmark of Palestinian attacks.
When anti-Israel students on campus, such as these students at UT-Austin, chant “Long Live the Intifada,” remember Taylor Force.

US Ambassador to UN Nikki Haley: Palestinians Must Stop Incitement, Engage in Direct Peace Talks With Israel

The Palestinian Authority must “stop its incitement to violence” and engage with Israel in “direct peace negotiations, rather than looking to the UN,” a top American diplomatic official said on Tuesday.
US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley made the statement after meeting with her Palestinian counterpart, Riyad Mansour — an encounter she described as “productive.”
“The US is committed to supporting a true peace process between Israel and the Palestinian Authority,” she said.
Last month, Haley received warm praise from the pro-Israel community in both the US and abroad after taking the UN Security Council to task for its double standards when it comes to its treatment of the Jewish state.
Following her first meeting with Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon, Haley said, “Never again will our allies have to question our support.”

Liberman urges US to cut ties with Israel-bashing UN bodies

Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman on Wednesday asked US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to reconsider American support for the United Nations agency that deals with Palestinian refugees, as well as for the UN Human Rights Council.
During a meeting at the State Department, Liberman urged Tillerson to consider quitting the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council and to stop funding the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, known as UNRWA.
The agencies do not fulfill their mission, he told the secretary, according to readout of the meeting issued by Liberman’s office. “Instead, the Human Rights Council deals with demonizing Israel and with efforts to harm it by distorting reality.”
He said it was unacceptable that 60 percent of the council’s resolutions targeted Israel instead of dealing with the dire human rights situation in Iran or North Korea or Syria.
Last week, the US envoy to the Human Rights Council, Erin Barclay, criticized the council for its outsize focus on Israel.

An unprecedented event occurred last week – a unique one no doubt – but one which is surely to become par for the course in the future. One of the more prominent BDS activists in the United States, Rania Khalek, who travels extensively lecturing in support of BDS, had her talk cancelled by the SJP [Students for Justine in Palestine] chapter at the University of North Carolina.

The event was cancelled, as per SJP’s official statement, due to Khalek’s “unclear” views related to the ongoing Syrian conflict and genocide. Khalek responded claiming the cancellation was the work of “Syria Trolls” .

For those who don’t follow, Rania Khalek is very well-known among pro-Palestinian circles and has cultivated a career around slandering Israel even in the face of human suffering. Many have written about her vile, hypocritical attitude towards Israel. I’d like to use this last event as an example of what I believe lies ahead for the global BDS movement as I did in a previous article.

Lately, Rania Khalek has been harshly criticized for her support of the Syrian regime led by Bashar Al-Assad. I have criticized Khalek, and will continue to do so, for dismissing horrific reports of human rights violations, not only in Syria. My criticism also revolves around her support of Islamic terrorists groups such as Hamas. Khalek claims she would strongly advocate against Hamas, but since they “don’t use human shields and behead people”, it’s not worth her while. Quick reminder. Hamas publicly acknowledged in 2008 and 2014 that they use human shields. More can be read here. So apparently, horrific acts such as public street executions, forced child labor, oppression of women, advocating vehicular ramming attacks, stabbing children in their sleep, and blowing up civilian buses are not causes for concern or advocating against.

This latest event involving the UNC SJP chapter surprised many and created quite an uproar on social media. Equally surprising is the relative silence from former employer Ali Abunimah, co-founder of the Electronic Intifada, for whom Khalek worked as an editor until she stepped down. Rumors have it that Khalek was fired by Abunimah.

Much has been written about the U.S. based pro-Hamas publication known as “The Electronic Intifada”, which usually goes into damage control mode anytime the BDS movement runs into a roadblock. The “publication” is also widely considered to be the leading BDS propaganda tool on the internet today.

Criticism directed at Intifada and its propaganda “journalists” peaked after Khalek was invited to speak at an event sponsored by the British Syrian Society, a London based NGO founded by Bashar al Assad’s father-in-law. The event focused on sanctions directed at Syria. Some of the criticism even originated from colleagues within Intifada. Even Laurie King, an Intifada co-founder, felt disgusted by Khalek’s attendance.

Now that we have laid out some background, I want to focus on the reason we are seeing tension among those who promote BDS and why internal conflict and strife within the movement will continue to deteriorate.

Firstly, the global BDS movement does not screen applicants prior to joining “the cause”. This means that the door is open to literally anyone who chooses to get involved [and hates Israel – and in many cases, Jews]. As I mentioned in my previous piece , BDS has proven to be a haven for anti-Semites who are looking for a platform from which to spew their hate. And what better platform than the one which allows to vent hatred towards Jews under the guise of “anti-Zionism”?

Further, the open door policy means that activists joining BDS originate from different backgrounds. Some are Sunni, others are Shia... some pro-Assad, others reject him… some Alawite, others Salafai or Wahhabi. For now, I’m purposefully disregarding non-Muslims [i.e. anti-imperialist whites, etc.] who are just looking to raise a flag and grab a beer later. BDS leaders believe non-Arab support is the key to BDS success since past attempts at boycotting Israel have failed. During those failed boycott attempts, non-Arabs were generally not involved, hence the need for “intersectionality”. Cracks on that front have begun as well. Fiascos like Linda Sarsour leading a "Womens March" is a testament to that.

Khalek herself is Druze and pro-Assad, so she’s viewed by many as pro-Alawite. Alawis, a sect Shia Islam, are a minority [led by a non-democratic dictatorial dynasty] controlling the Sunni majority in Syria. Sunnis make up roughly 74% of Syria while the ruling Alawites number roughly 12%. It’s also important to note that Khalek supports Hamas. They are Sunni – and heavily funded by Qatar, who adhere to the Salafi branch of Sunni Islam. Khalek abhors Qatar and criticizes its government almost daily for funding Syrian rebels fighting the Assad regime. Apparently, it’s OK for Qatar to fund Hamas but funding Syrian rebels is a no-no. Perhaps if Hamas concentrated on fighting Assad, Khalek would be “advocating” against them. It also seems to be ok to staunchly support Linda Sarsour,who is partly funded by the Sharia-based Qatar Foundation.

What about Hezbollah? Well, they are Shia, and Khalek supports them as well. Hezbollah is also heavily supported by Iran - essentially a de facto client terrorist state. Let us not forget that Rania is a feminist, so naturally she would support Iran which is predominantly Shia as well. Iran also supports Hamas – but here again, not because they love each other, but because they share the same hate for Israel.

Before the Syrian Civil War began, Assad and his Alawite regime supported Sunni Hamas. Since then, Hamas has carefully expressed support for Sunni Syrian rebels, whom Khalek calls terrorists. According to Khalek, Hamas are not terrorists since they “don’t behead”.

In a 2012 Telegraph article, we read about Hamas’ support for Syrian rebels, which ultimately led to their exile from Damascus. Also in the article, Ismail Haniyeh [then-leader of Hamas in Gaza] visited a mosque in Cairo during Friday prayers. During the visit, he offered statements in support of “Syrian freedom fighters”. The crowd went on to chant, “No Hezbollah, No Iran – No Hezbollah, No Iran”.

Now, throw this into the mix: Khalek herself is secular! To be exact, she is a tank-top strutting [more power to her] Druze and a feminist atheist who happens to be vegan. If you thought your half-Yemenite half-Polish Jewish friend was confused, try living in Khaleks shoes for a day.

Khalek is but one example of many that are conflicted when it comes to who exactly they can or should support within the chaotic Middle East. Her support of Assad, and by association the mass genocide of Syrians, is precisely why her talk at UNC was cancelled.

Khalek is also due to speak later this month at the annual hate fest organized by BDS promoter Abbas Hamideh . Interestingly, just in the past few days we have seen tension within his Al-Awda organization. On March 4^th, Al-Awda released a rare statement regarding the hate rally. The title of the statement was “Clarification on Upcoming Support Palestine, Protest AIPAC Rally in Washington, DC”. Essentially, “Al-Awda National” is claiming they have no involvement or affiliation with the upcoming rally. Apparently, the bad press [perhaps partly due to my article] exposing how rabid-Antisemitism is creeping into Al-Awda resonated with some members.

Since the statement, Hamideh has taken to Facebook and lashed out at other Al-Awda members and is claiming that the rally is now organized by “Al-Awda's Ohio chapter and the Midwest regional affiliates”. He even went as far as to post screenshots of private text messages between himself and other members who demanded he tone it down.

I always hear the Abunimahs, Khaleks, and Hamidehs of the world tell us, “BDS is rapidly growing”. Well, that is true, but growing into what? Based on what we’re witnessing lately, the more BDS grows, the less effective it’s becoming in achieving its main objective – which is to destroy Israel. The amount of daily news items reporting on BDS defeats along with radical elements within the movement are growing rapidly. The future of BDS will prove to be historically consistent with what happened regarding past boycotting initiatives.

Lessons from past boycotts should be learned. Starting from the very first boycott within the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in 1922 against Jewish owned-businesses in Mandatory Palestine, to the boycott declared by the Syrian-Palestinian Congress in 1933, through the Yishuv boycott by the Arab League in 1945 and the boycott of Jewish goods and cargo by King Farouk of Egypt in 1950, and followed by the Arab boycotts during the 1970’s. The countries who initiated these boycotts have all since either signed peace treaties with Israel or kept diplomatic relations on a low burner. Current Middle East geopolitics are pushing more and more Arab countries to search for “normalization” channels with Israel.

In summary, if future BDS events continue to include Nazi salutes and chanting “Adolf Hitler”, “Slaughter Jews”, and “Allahu Akbar”, it’s only a matter of time before a radical Islamic BDS splinter group accepts responsibility for ______________________.

As for online BDS propaganda hate sites like The Electronic Intifada, which will ultimately vanish into the dustbin of history, I see a bright and profitable future as an online merchandise retailer of “Oriental Gifts”.

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.

Memorial for the girls

From Ammon News:

An official in Jordan's government says a Jordanian soldier who killed seven Israeli schoolgirls visiting the country on a class trip will be released after serving 20 years in prison.

Spokesman Mohammed Momani said Tuesday that Ahmed Daqamseh is to be freed next week, possibly Monday, after completing his term.

Daqamseh killed the girls in a 1997 shooting rampage at the "Island of Peace" border post.

A military court deemed him mentally unstable and sentenced him to life in prison, which in Jordan typically means 25 years. Jordanian lawmakers lobbied in the past for his early release.

King Hussein, Jordan's ruler in 1997, paid a rare visit to Israel to express his condolences to the girls' parents.

The shooting came three years after Israel and Jordan signed a peace treaty.

Jordan's parliament has been pushing to get Daqamseh released for years, with many Jordanians considering him a hero for murdering seven schoolgirls.

Apparently, that lobbying has resulted in an earlier release than the monster would have normally had. Obviously killing 7 Israeli girls is much less heinous than murdering a single Jordanian where one would get the 25 years in prison.

Because he is a "hero."

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From MEMRI last year:

In a lecture posted on the YouTube channel of Montreal’s Al-Andalous Islamic Center on June 17, 2016, Canadian Imam Wael Al-Ghitawi discussed the wife’s obligations toward her husband in accordance with Islam. Al-Ghitawi said that she must not refuse her husband's conjugal rights and must not leave the house without his permission. He cited a hadith according to which the Prophet Muhammad said that "if [a husband] has a boil oozing pus, anywhere from head to toe, the wife will not be doing him full justice even if she licks it clean."
Wael Al-Ghitawi: "In the hadith compilation of Imam Ahmad (ibn Hanbal) it says: 'No human being should bow down before another human being, but if this were allowed, I would have ordered women to bow down before their husbands, because of the magnitude of the husband's rights over his wife. By Allah, if (a husband) has a boil oozing pus, anywhere from head to toe, the wife will not be doing him full justice even if she licks it clean.' This is no trivial matter. These are the words of the Prophet Muhammad. Some people might find it difficult to stomach this hadith. I mean, if a man has a boil, does his wife really need to lick it? I am not saying that she must lick it. But the Prophet Muhammad demonstrated the magnitude of the husband's rights over his wife by saying that even if she licks the boil, she would not be doing him full justice.

[...]

"Another of the husband's rights is not to be refused when he summons his wife to bed. If the husband wants her, she must consent, in order to protect his faith from the temptations that lurk everywhere.

[...]

"The wife must not refuse her husband when he summons her to bed, as long as she is able, and does not suffer from any mental or physical condition preventing this, like menstruation or post-natal bleeding, in which case she may refrain from doing so. But even in such cases, the husband may enjoy her, avoiding the vagina. In order for both husband and wife to avoid Allah's curses, the wife must obey her husband and fulfill his needs, or else the angels will curse her and the Lord's wrath will be upon her.

[...]

"The (husband) has another right over his wife: She must not go out of the house without his permission. This is the husband's right according to the shari'a. What about the state law? I am not talking about that now. You are a woman who married according to the shari'a, so if your husband tells you not to leave the house--don't leave the house! 'How come he's allowed to prevent me?' you ask...Just don't leave the house! That's one of his rights. Allah granted him this right. So don't leave the house without his permission!"

Keep in mind that this sermon wasn't given in Saudi Arabia or Iran - it was in Montreal.

(h/t Irene)

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