Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Tuesday, July 04, 2017

It's more dangerous to be a Jew in France or Denmark than in Russia

The Center for Research on Extremism (C-REX) at the University of Oslo released a fascinating study of antisemitism in Europe over the time period 2005-2015. The Eye on the World blog has a nice summary.

Most of the news is bad. Here is a depressing chart:

But amid the bad news, you can read this section:

Russia clearly stands out with a very low number of registered incidents of antisemitic violence in proportion to its large Jewish population (approximately 190,000). Only 33 incidents were found for the period 2005–2015. We must assume that a number of incidents have occurred without being reported in the media and thus not registered in the SOVA Center’s database, but according to Aleksandr Verkhovsky, head of the SOVA Center, the level of antisemitism-related violence in Russia is clearly far lower than in Western European countries.26 It is also notable that no reports could be found of Russian Jews feeling forced to conceal their identity in public. On the contrary, being Jewish has evidently become “fashionable” among Moscow youth.

For those of us above a certain age who remember the persecution that Jews suffered in the Soviet Union, this is nothing short of astonishing. Antisemitism is now far worse in Western European countries than it is in Russia, and there is no fear of walking around with a kippah.

In one generation, a nation has nearly purged itself from overt antisemitism, while the "enlightened" liberal states has seen it skyrocket.

A lot (but not all) of this has to do with Muslim immigration to these nations, of course. But that just pushes off the issue - Muslim antisemitism is tolerated in Western European nations more than other forms of hate are.

(h/t Ronald)

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Symantec categorizes numerous pro-Israel blogs as "hate"

Sky-UK got back to someone who complained about my site being categorized as a hate site, and the ysaid that this categorization comes from Symantec.

I found a page where you can see how they categorize websites, and sure enough, they place me under "hate":

I'm not the only pro-Israel site that is miscategorized as a hate site.

Israellycool, Israel Matzav and Abu Yehuda all get the same category:

Symantec's definition of a hate site is "Sites that promote hostility against particular individual or group on the basis of race, religion, color, gender, and origin."

There is definitely a campaign to impugn pro-Israel sites and stop people from reading them.

Symantec must review its categorization policies and stop assuming that reports of hate are accurate without performing their own impartial review. Otherwise the haters get the ability to censor.

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, yesterday evening (Monday, 3 July 2017), made the following remarks at US Ambassador David Friedman's residence in Herzliya:

"Ambassador Friedman and Mrs. Friedman, David, Tammy, Sara and I are so delighted to be with you and all the distinguished guests who are here. I have to tell you, David, your Hebrew is very good, and I'll note that you had your Bar Mitzvah in Israel, I had my Bar Mitzvah in America – the twist of fate.

This is a great day, and I want to say first, Happy Birthday, USA!

Today is a celebration of freedom and independence; it's a celebration of this most remarkable country, the United States of America.

Three years prior to America's independence, the Sons of Liberty gathered in Boston harbor. They boarded tall ships and cast chests of tea overboard. The principle for which they fought, no taxation without representation, changed the world.

I believe in limited taxation with representation, but great idea which brought into being all the philosophies of the enlightenment and the ancient ideas of freedom born in this country, this brought together the United States, and on July 4th, 1776, the United States was born: A nation conceived in liberty, dedicated to the proposition that all men – they later added all women too – are created equal.

Two hundred years later, to the day, on July 4th, 1976, I received the shattering news that my brother Yoni was killed securing the freedom of the hostages held at Entebbe. This was the darkest moment of my life, the life of my brother, most of all my parents. I've always remembered the fallen sons of Israel, the grief that accompanies the parents of our young heroes, like Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul, and we are committed to bring them home. We will bring them home.

Two centuries separate July 4th, 1776, and July 4th, 1976, but to me, they are unified by a common ideal: The fight for freedom. I am reminded of that parallel every year at this time. Israel and America are two bastions of liberty defending our common civilization.

Today I stood on another tall ship, a tall ship of liberty. Tall is an understatement – it's huge, not only in length but in bulk. The USS George H.W. Bush, a massive aircraft carrier anchored just outside of Haifa. It's a floating piece of America. It's a floating island that helps lead the fight against ISIS.

I told the members of this crew a few hours ago that Israel is also an aircraft carrier. It's an aircraft carrier for Western civilization, for the civilization of freedom. Our two democracies prize individual choice and respect for all. Ours are peace-loving peoples that seek neither war nor conquest, but we know, David, as you've just said, we know that for peace to endure, we must be prepared to defend it, and we must be prepared to defend ourselves against those who would seek to destroy us.

It is ultimately not these magnificent ships or planes that keep us safe, it's the indomitable spirit of our people and the justice of our cause.

I was so impressed, as was Sara, when we stood there, and you must have seen this, David, You saw the great partnership between the American crew, the commanders, the pilots, the crew members and their Israeli counterparts. You can see a real friendship, a real personal friendship that is born of these common ideals.

That bond between us was so evident in the historic visit of President Trump to Israel. President Trump was the first US president who chose to make his first foreign trip to Israel. We will always remember that. His speech at the Israel Museum left an indelible mark. I've spoken to many Israelis, they said they were so uplifted by this speech, by his spirit of friendship, the spirit of solidarity that the President expressed with Israel. We were all moved by that. When the President decided, as the first US sitting president, to visit the Western Wall, and he touched those stones, he touched our hearts, as did First Lady Melania, as did Jared and Ivanka.

I want to take this opportunity and say, I am committed and I remain committed to making every Jew feel at home in Israel, including at the Kotel. All we need is patience and perseverance. Patience, perseverance and courage is what the founders of America had in abundance.

I recently read an extraordinary biography of George Washington. What a leader he was. I never realized that at the height of his battle against the British Empire, the maximum number of troops that George Washington commanded was Chai – 18,000 - that's it. You can imagine how much resilience and how much courage this man had and it represents the spirit of America ever since.

July 4th is a celebration of the victory of American values – a victory for freedom, a victory for independence, a victory for hope. Today we rededicate ourselves to victory – victory over barbarism, victory over terror, victory over tyranny.

Our two nations stand shoulder to shoulder, as we have countless times before, in our noble fight for freedom.

May God bless Israel. May God bless the United States of America.

Happy 4th of July, America."

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07/04 Links Pt1: Abbas vows never to stop salaries to terrorists; Modi and Israel's coming of age

From Ian:

PMW: Abbas vows never to stop salaries to terrorists

Even if it might cost him his presidency, Abbas has pledged he won't stop paying salaries to imprisoned terrorists and the families of the so-called "Martyrs." According to his own Fatah Movement, Abbas has made the following statement, vowing to continue honoring terrorists and murderers with monetary rewards no matter what:
"'Even if I will have to leave my position, I will not compromise on the salary (rawatib) of a Martyr (Shahid) or a prisoner, as I am the president of the entire Palestinian people, including the prisoners, the Martyrs, the injured, the expelled, and the uprooted.'
[PA] President Mahmoud Abbas." [Official Fatah Facebook page, July 2, 2017]
According to the 2016 PA budget, the PA currently pays 26,800 families of "Martyrs" a total of 660 million shekels ($183 million) per year, and 6,500 terrorist prisoners receive PA salaries amounting to 486 million shekels ($135 million) per year.
A member of Fatah's Central Committee, Jamal Muhaisen, also quoted Abbas' promise, and emphasized that the payment of salaries to terrorist prisoners and "Martyrs" is not an issue of money, but rather is about the "Palestinian historical narrative":

Narendra Modi and Benjamin Netanyahu: Hand in hand into the future: Indian PM’s historic visit to Israel reflects how the two countries are working together on many fronts

A historic visit to Israel commences today. It will be the first ever of an Indian Prime Minister to Israel. The two of us have met before but this is the first time we do so on Israeli soil.
The natural partnership between India and Israel, formally elevated 25 years ago to full diplomatic relations, has grown stronger from year to year. The deep connection between our peoples reflects our many similarities in spirit, if not in size. Ours are two modern, vibrant democracies that draw on our rich historical traditions while striving to seize the promise of the future for our peoples.
Both our nations are complex. Like yogic asanas grounding down and pulling up at the same time, they face many challenges. By working together we can overcome some of the challenges.
Over the centuries the philosophies and histories of our ancestors inspired one another. Today the entrepreneurial drive of Indians and Israelis brings us closer together. The Jewish community in India was always welcomed with warmth and respect and never faced any persecution. The Jews of Indian origin in Israel are proud of their heritage and have left an indelible imprint on both societies. Both communities serve as a human bridge between our nations. (h/t Elder of Lobby)

Caroline Glick: Modi and Israel's coming of age

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Israel this week marks more than the 25th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two nations.
It marks as well Israel’s coming of age as a nation.
When in 1992, India and Israel forged full diplomatic relations, the Indian government was reacting to a transformation in the international arena, rather than to changes that were specifically related to the Jewish state.
In 1991 and 1992, in response to the US victory over the Soviet Union in the Cold War, a large group of countries restored or inaugurated full diplomatic relations with Israel. These states – including the Russian Federation and China – had by and large been either on the Soviet side of the war, or leaned toward Moscow. Their refusal to forge full ties with Israel, a key US Cold War ally, became a liability in the US-dominated post-Cold War global order. Hence, they abandoned their Cold War rejection of Israel and instead embraced it.
Although ingratiating themselves with Washington loomed large in the considerations of most governments involved, they also took the step due to Israel’s independent power. If Israel had been a strategic basket case facing an uncertain future, then even in the face of the demise of the Soviet Union, Moscow and its allies could well have had second and third thoughts. Why anger the Arab world by recognizing a soon-to-be gone Jewish state?
Had Israel recognized and built on the sources of its power and attraction for other governments, it would have spent the rest of the 1990s strengthening itself still further – defeating Hezbollah in Lebanon, weakening the Iranian regime and working with the Americans to end its ballistic weapon program. It would have moved quickly to liberalize its economy to enable the million new Israelis from the former Soviet Union to immediately transform Israel into the global innovator rather than waiting for this to gradually occur over decades.

Yet another survey about Israel is making the rounds these days. This one, as reported by Ha'aretz, reveals that The More Americans Learn About Israel, the Less They Like It. Apparently, when you think of Israel,

If you’re like most Americans, you picture walls of concrete enclosing an austere and strict country. The men wear black hats, the women long skirts. Everyone looks pretty serious.

More to the point, the survey apparently indicates that compared to 2010, while Americans claim to know more about Israel in 2016, they seem to like Israel less. This of course is alarming to Brand Israel Group, which commissioned the 2016 survey done by Global Strategy Group.

Of course, before getting far into the article, one really has to wonder how a person can claim to know more about Israel and still think that men in black hats and women in long skirts are typical of the average Israeli.

Actually, that would seem to be the same view people had of Israel back in 2008 -- according to the Nefesh B'Nefesh First International Jewish Bloggers Conference. At the time, I blogged about Zavi Apfelbaum, Director of Brand Management, Foreign Ministry who spoke on: Branding Israel - From Vision to Reality. As I described it back then:

To illustrate how the world sees Israel today, Apfelbaum showed a short clip of a focus group study. Small groups of Americans sitting around a table were asked to imagine stopping by various homes, each one inhabited by a family of a different country, and described what they imagined they would see and experience. In each case, the participants decribed a pleasurable experience--all, except in the case of Israel.

When describing walking to and entering an Israeli home, participants described a home dominated by cement without a grass lawn. As opposed to all the other homes, in this one the man of the house answers the door--the woman of the home is not even seen. One participant said that it would be uncomfortable to enter, because the home would be 'Orthodox' and the people living there would probably not even want guests. In essence, many of the participants identified Israel with Saudi Arabia. It reminds me of when I was at Disney World--in the "It's A Small World" exhibit, Israel was represented by a chassid.

The key point is that here were intelligent Americans, Americans who tend to support Israel--yet they had no clue as to what Israel and Israelis are like. The fact that Americans support Israel is not because they actually understand or identify with her.

So first of all, apparently 9 years later, this view of Israelis seems not to changed -- they are still viewed as being comprised mostly of Orthodox Jewish men and women.

But if so, the apparent drop in a favorable view of Israel does not seem to be related to what they think Israelis are like.

An article at the time in The Canadian Jewish News described the new direction the branding effort was going to take in 2008. It would not focus on the Tel Aviv beaches and Israel as a tourist site. Ido Aharoni, founder of the ministry’s Brand Israel concept, described the results of the market research done at the time.

Aharoni said the ministry has conducted market research over the past few years that showed “Israel is viewed solely through the narrow prism of the Arab-Israeli conflict… Israel’s personality is 90 per cent dominated by conflict-related images and some religious connotations,” he said. “Those of us who know the brand intimately are disturbed by the divergence of brand and the perception.”

...aspects of Israel are worthy of promotion, including its culture and arts; its accomplishments on environmental matters such as water desalination, solar energy and clean technology; its high-tech successes and achievements in higher education; and its involvement in international aid, he added.

Getting Canadians – both Jewish and non-Jewish – to see Israel in that light is part of the branding effort. Not only would that change Israel’s image, it could lead to more tourism and investment, educational exchanges and other benefits, Aharoni said.

In fact, those are the Israeli accomplishments that have been emphasized over the past 9 years -- and today they are the ones that Israel is identified with.

Not only that, but due to this image, Israel has made enormous progress since 2008 in overcoming its past isolation and making allies in India, China and Africa, to the extent that some level of diplomatic relations are seen as possible between Israel and some of the Arab states. True, those latter relations are due in part to a reaction against Iran, but part of that is due also to an Arab desire to make use of the Israeli technology.

So if Israel's branding project seems to be a success, why does it also seem to be a failure?

First of all, the fact that people claim to "know" more about Israel in 2016 than in 2010 is a subjective evaluation based on the assumption that people who didn't know that much about Israel actually know more now.

What exactly do people think they know about Israel?

These 3 short videos by ACT.IL llustrate not only that people don't know what they think they know, but also how easily they can be led to believe negative things about Israel and express their disapproval of the Jewish State.

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Still, why is the "favorability" level of Israel down, even with the progress made in recognition and alliances with more and more countries?

Perhaps the reason is that unlike countries whose actions and policies are dictated by need, individuals will judge countries on a different value-driven basis.

The problem is that there is a topic not being addressed fully, neither by this new rebranding effort nor by the hasbarah effort to defend against attacks on Israel's legitimacy -- and that is the long-standing indigenous rights of Jews to the land based upon their 3,000+ years on the land and connection to it based on history, culture, language and religion.

Beyond the names, dates, history and treaties that we often summon in defense of Israel's right to exist, when we as Jews, wherever we are, can unabashedly and unapologetically talk about the Jewish right to the re-established land of Israel, then branding will have accomplished its purpose, by rebranding not only Israel as the Jewish home but also Jews as proud residents of the land.

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PLO chairman, PA president and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas spoke at the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, where he attempted to torpedo the growing and burgeoning ties between Israel and African countries.

Abbas said that African nations must condition their ties with Israel to Israel's "commitment to end the occupation of the land of the State of Palestine."

"The attempts of the Israeli occupying state to participate in your regional conference and to organize regional conferences encourage it to continue its arrogance, its occupation of Palestine and its denial of the rights of the Palestinian people with regard to freedom, sovereignty and independence, these are basic human values and principles..." he said.

"We hope that there will be a link between any progress in the relations between the continent and Israel and its commitment to end its occupation of the land of Palestine which has been occupied since 1967 and whose capital is eastern Jerusalem,” he added.

Of course, Abbas maintains the right to determine that the many Israeli peace moves that he rejects are not appropriate for African nations to consider.

Frightened of the possibility that African economic ties with Israel might translate to political support, Abbas insisted that they continue to vote against Israel in UN and international resolutions, claiming that only that could bring peace.

He also claimed that the Palestinian Authority, which pays salaries to living terrorists and supports erecting monuments to and naming institutions after dead ones, is working with the US as a full partner in the fight against terror.

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.@UNICEF and @UNDP support Palestinian children's bigotry against Israel and Jews

Yesterday was the first day of an exhibit in Ramallah showing the results of an art initiative for children of Gaza to decorate their schools with murals.

The initiative was sponsored by the Palestinian Ministry of Education along with UNICEF.

While some of the artwork is appropriate for schools, and innocuous, other murals resulting from this project are inconsistent with the UN's supposed principles.

Many of them imply a Middle East with only Muslims:

When one sees the peace dove in this picture, one can understand what it means in this one as well - a Temple Mount without any Jews is the only "peaceful" possibility:

Even when the kids pretend to show their desire for peace among all peoples in the world, they pointedly ignore the one people who are indigenous to the region:

Most strikingly, UNICEF and the UNDP highlighted this mural showing the false "right" of Palestinian Arabs to "return" to end Israel as a Jewish state and reverse the "nakba" of Israel's establishment.

Westerners are largely clueless to the symbolism behind these "peaceful" murals. But Palestinians understand their meanings quite readily.

And the UN eagerly supports this bigotry and hate - because the kids throw in some doves.

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07/03 Links Pt2: Modi's historic visit celebrates 2500 years of Hindu-Jewish ties; Anti-Semitism Is Creeping Into Progressivism

From Ian:

No One Does Anti-Israel Bias Quite Like the U.N.

Unsurprisingly, Falk is equally fixated on the supposed crimes of the Jews. In a blog post about the Boston Marathon bombings — he seizes every opportunity he can get — he repeated the old canard that Israelis control American foreign policy and insist on war. “The war drums are beating at this moment in relation to both North Korea and Iran,” he wrote, “and as long as Tel Aviv has the compliant ear of the American political establishment, those who wish for peace and justice in the world should not rest easy.”
For those who refuse to see the meaning or history behind portraying a global power as “compliant” to the Jewish state, Falk goes further. He has vulgarly compared the Israeli government to the Nazis: “Is it an irresponsible overstatement to associate the treatment of Palestinians with this criminalized Nazi record of collective atrocity? I think not.” And he once wrote an article entitled: “Slouching toward a Palestinian Holocaust.”
You read that right: The man who for six years investigated Israel on behalf of the international community sees the Jews as the Nazis and the Palestinians as the Jews of Germany. The realization that Falk was probably appointed to investigate Israel not in spite of these views but because of them helps explain why the U.N. treats Israel the way it does.
Back in 2011, when he was still the sitting U.N. special rapporteur, Falk chose to write a blurb in praise of the anti-Semitic book The Wandering Who, by (ethnically Jewish) holocaust denier Gilad Atzmon. Atzmon writes in the book that “The history of Jewish persecution is a myth, and if there was any persecution the Jews brought it on themselves.” The book calls the credit crunch the “Zio-punch” and blames the media, which “failed to warn the American people of the enemy within.” Falk’s blurb, placed on the book’s front cover, calls the work “a transformative story told with unflinching integrity that all [especially Jews] who care about peace, as well as their own identity, should not only read, but reflect upon and discuss widely.”
With U.N. officials like that, the “Israeli apartheid,” and “ethnic cleansing” reports almost seem to write themselves.

Ben-Dror Yemini: Breaking the silence deserves Israel Prize for manipulation

Op-ed: The organization’s director says soldiers’ testimonies of war crimes are not being investigated. But when the Military Advocate General wanted to investigate the few testimonies that do point to a suspected offense, Breaking the Silence demanded protection of sources.
Breaking the Silence director Yuli Novak is furious about the investigation against the organization’s spokesperson, Dean Issacharof, who stated that he had committed a war crime of beating a Palestinian until he bled. Why is he being interrogated of all people, Novak complained. There are, after all, hundreds of other testimonies.
I checked the “testimonies” Novak was referring to. And not just any testimonies, but the department of “selected testimonies,” which are supposed to be the most serious and severe ones. One of the testimonies deals with a three-year-old toddler who was left under the bed during a search using live ammunition. He wasn’t hurt. “We were shocked by it,” said the soldier who gave the testimony, adding that “it emphasized the procedures.” It’s definitely unpleasant and definitely sad, yet I had trouble understanding where the crime was and what exactly should have been investigated.
I went on to another testimony, which claims that the IDF ignored the ban on using the “neighbor procedure” (the use of non-combatant Palestinian neighbors and relatives to help arrest wanted suspects). It’s unclear when the incident happened, as an interim order was issued against the procedure in August 2002, and the High Court ruled against the procedure in 2005. But the claim that the IDF ignored the order is slightly odd. In 2007, for example, the Military Police conducted an investigation against Major-General Yair Golan, who served as deputy Judea and Samaria Division commander at the time, for violating the ban on the “neighbor procedure.”

Jonathan A. Greenblatt (ADL): Anti-Semitism Is Creeping Into Progressivism

And regarding the LGBTQ community, we were proud to stand against discrimination of HIV/AIDS patients decades ago and, more recently, to champion marriage equality. We continue to fight housing and workplace discrimination targeting people based on who they love or how they self-identify their gender. And while great progress has been made in recent years, we continue to resist efforts to turn back the clock under the guise of religious freedom.
On the other hand, when hatred comes from individuals in those very communities or organizations for whom we advocate, we are duty bound to raise our voice. In recent times, anger over specific policies of the Israeli government has been used by some activists to excuse broad anti-Semitism directed at members of the Jewish community. In some cases, we have seen painful rhetoric unfold on college campuses or outright exclusion of self-identified Jews from progressive circles simply because of their faith. All of it is inexcusable.
At ADL, we work with various communities not only because it is the moral thing to do but also because our freedoms are bound to theirs. That said, even as we fight alongside other groups on issues of mutual concern, we should not sacrifice our principles, and we will forcefully denounce those who would slander our community and resort to stereotypes.
This does not mean we need absolute ideological alignment with every prospective partner. But it does mean that we need to draw lines in a clear manner — and demand that our allies observe those fundamental values that we also seek to live by: equality, fairness and respect for all.

Malaysian op-ed says BDS movement is tanking

An op-ed in Asian Correspondent from Malaysia talks about the effectiveness of consumer boycotts:

THERE is no denying the fact Malaysians are very passionate. We will commit and dedicate ourselves to whatever social affair or issue we feel passionate about, such as the Palestinian-Israel issue, the ISIS issue, even the Rohingya refugee crisis.

But the commitment hardly ever lasts.

Remember two years ago in 2014 when emotions against the Zionist movement and oppression towards Palestinians by Israel was at an all-time high? There were protests and calls for the boycott of Jewish-linked businesses such as McDonald’s, Starbucks and the like.

How long did the boycott last? Obviously not very long. Everyone was so angry in the beginning. They took to the streets with their banners and scarves. And yes, they did boycott the franchises, for a week or two maybe. But then it was Big Macs and Latte Grandes all over again.

Today, there seems to be yet another call to boycott these franchises.

But this time, it isn’t an issue related to the Zionists. The Malay nationalist group Perkasa wants Malay Muslims here to boycott coffee chain Starbucks, purportedly because the company supports marriage equality and LGBT rights in the US.

The writer goes on to say that the chances of such a boycott accomplishing anything are nil. But this part caught my eye:

And of course, there is the current BDS movement (Boycott, Disinvestment and Sanctions) that started in 2005 with the intention of isolating Israel due to their stand on Palestine.

But again, a very different story (the movement isn’t doing too well either).

IF BDS is perceived as being ineffective even in anti-Israel Muslim countries like Malaysia, then the movement has already lost the non-Arab Islamic world.

Just as the Europeans need to catch up with the Gulf states on how unimportant the Palestinian issue really is, the people who think that BDS is making any inroads need to catch up with the fact that Israel's economy is the envy of the world. When Israel gets visits from the head of the nation that has some 180 million Muslims, more than almost any other, then the attempts to destroy Israel by delegitimizing it have truly failed.

As this author implies, the economy is what drives international relations more than anything else. As Israel grows economically, it cannot be considered vulnerable to today's boycotts any more than it was when the Arab nations boycotted the Jews in 1946.

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.

Legitimizing Temple denial in London (Petra Marquardt-Bigman)

By Petra Marquardt-Bigman

British Islamists are eagerly anticipating the “biggest-ever Palestine event in Europe”: a “Palestine Expo” that “will be held at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in Westminster [London] on 8 and 9 July.” The event is organized by “Friends of Al-Aqsa” (FOA); the group claims to be “a UK based non-profit making NGO concerned with defending the human rights of Palestinians and protecting the sacred al-Aqsa Sanctuary in Jerusalem.” A more honest description would have to mention that FOA founder and chair Ismail Patel is an ardent admirer of the terror group Hamas and that FOA likes to promote Holocaust deniers and Jew-haters. Moreover, FOA’s openly declared “aims and objectives” include “Emphasising the significance and the centrality of the al-Aqsa Mosque to the Islamic faith and the Muslim identity and re-affirming the Muslim historic and religious rights to the area” – and in case you’re wondering what exactly “the area” refers to, FOA is again rather honest about it: as they explain in their #HandsOffAlAqsa campaign,

“There is a common misconception that Masjid al-Aqsa refers specifically to the black/grey domed masjid within the al-Aqsa Sanctuary, however this is incorrect. Allah (swt) reminds us in the Holy Qur’an that He has blessed the land for us therefore according to Islamic teachings, ALL the buildings within al-Aqsa Sanctuary and the entirety of the land are sacred right down to every single grain of sand within it and when we refer to 'Masjid al-Aqsa' it is not to any of the specific buildings upon the land, but rather, the land itself upon which the Dome of the Rock and the black/grey domed masjid stand.”

Islamic supremacism in its by now all too familiar ruthlessness – after all, what FOA is doing is not so different from what the Taliban and ISIS have done when they destroyed ancient monuments of non-Islamic civilizations in areas under their control. True, the Jewish Temple was already destroyed when the jihadi armies led by the successors of Islam’s founder conquered Jerusalem and quickly moved to Islamify the site that remains Judaism’s most holiest and is also important to Christians. So what is left for Muslim supremacists to destroy on the Temple Mount doesn’t require explosives, but just the kind of ruthless propaganda and incitement that FOA employs in its despicable efforts to erase the Jewish history of the site.

Visitors of FOA’s “Palestine Expo” in London will apparently get a chance to enjoy this vile propaganda in the “Knowledge Village” where they can see “a virtual Al-Aqsa and learn all about the history of Al-Aqsa.” It’s unclear who finances the event, since the link for “Sponsors and Exhibitors” only leads to a PDF brochure that seeks sponsors and exhibitors, while the groups listed as “Supporters” include mostly anti-Israel activists and unions whose leaders have particular problems with the existence of the world’s only Jewish state.

On social media, FOA’s Twitter account has just some 19K followers; their Instagram account has some 31K followers, but their Facebook page has more than 500K “Likes” and followers.

Needless to say, FOA uses social media to incite against Jews and Israel with blatant lies and demonization, as illustrated in the following screenshots from Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter; note the antisemitic comments of FOA’s followers.

As I have repeatedly noted, the pernicious libel that Jews want to damage the Al-Aqsa mosque was first invented in the 1920s by Haj Amin al Husseini, the Mufti of Jerusalem, who later gained notoriety as a Nazi collaborator; his successors now operate freely in Britain and are organizing a major event in a prominent location in central London. Anyone who participates in this event and supports it by visiting can proudly claim to have contributed to promoting the legacy of a man who was also once described as “Hitler of the Holy Land.” And as it happens, quite a few of the preachers who speak at Al-Aqsa and lead prayers there have fantasies that are rather Hitleresque – so let’s conclude with just one of the more recent examples. It’s not hard to imagine that the British Friends of Al-Aqsa greatly enjoy this kind of sermons privately, though for some reason, they’re apparently reluctant to share them with their fans…

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07/03 Links Pt1: Dear American Jews, Israelis don’t care that you’re insulted; PA re-erect Jenin terrorist memorial razed by IDF

From Ian:

Daniel Gordis: Dear American Jews, Israelis don’t care that you’re insulted

We’ve had a rough week, those of us who care about the American Jewish – Israel relationship. As in all relationships, rough patches are painful, but they are also opportunities to think anew, to understand better. That’s what I would like to try to do in this open (and admittedly rather lengthy) letter. Prime Minister Netanyahu’s shameful capitulation to the ultra-Orthodox on the Kotel and conversion issues actually affords us a valuable opportunity. For decades, the Jewish world has been struggling with what, precisely, should be the relationship between American Jews and Israel. Now, we’re primed to talk about it.
We’re not going to settle this issue now – the fraught relationship goes back almost a century. In 1920, Louis Brandeis and Chaim Weizmann had a now famous blowup about Zionist policy, following which Weizmann said, “There is no bridge between Washington and Pinsk.” In other words, we are very different at our cores – let’s not pretend otherwise. Jacob Blaustein (then the President of the American Jewish Committee) and David Ben-Gurion had another explosion in 1950, and their “agreement” was always tenuous at best. Leading American Jews were livid when Israel captured Adolf Eichmann and brought him to Jerusalem for trial. “Who made you the representative of the Jewish people,” they wanted to know. Eichmann, after all, had murdered Jews, not Israelis. He was party to genocide before Israel even existed, so by virtue of what right did Israel kidnap him and try him (and later, execute him)? Did Israel think it represented world Jewry?
There have been periods when Israel did claim to represent world Jewry. And there are other times, like this week, when it acts as if only its own citizens matter. Now is the time to try to figure some of this out.
It’s complicated, of course. On one hand, American Jews are not citizens of Israel, and do not – and should not – have a vote on most of Israel’s policies, domestic or foreign. There is a difference between being a citizen and not being a citizen. On the other hand, though, American Jews have long felt deeply connected to Israel. (That may be changing among the younger generation, but that is the subject of a different conversation. See a long exchange about that here.) You feel pride in Israel’s extraordinary accomplishments, worry when Israel faces frightening threats, and feel ashamed when Israel makes bad decisions.
And Israel, conversely, has no compunction about asking or telling you that you “must” support us. Israeli Prime Ministers have gone to American Jewry to advocate aliyah. Others have gone to raise money, both in times of crisis and at more placid moments. Still others have gone to rally the political troops, at the UN, in Congress or elsewhere. So American Jews are not citizens of Israel, but neither are you entirely non-citizens. Surely, you have a different status than even feverishly pro-Israel American Christian Evangelicals, do you not?
At the risk of annoying every single person who will read this column, I’d like to use this space to sketch some preliminary thoughts on how we might define this relationship. I realize that much of what will follow here will be controversial, and there are elements that I myself still struggle with. Still, I’d like to take a stab at defining ways in which we ought to think about this relationship, by discussing two examples of issues – one on which American Jews should not seek to determine Israel’s policy, and another on which they should – and how they should do it.

Angry US donor wants to issue ‘a wake-up call,’ isn’t planning to pull his Israel funding

Taking a break from his long Fourth of July weekend in the mountains of North Carolina, Isaac “Ike” Fisher, a member of the board of the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee), told The Times of Israel on Sunday that reports of the demise of his support for Israel have been greatly exaggerated.
The Florida real estate tycoon, a leading fundraiser in the Greater Miami Jewish Federation who is active in many Jewish philanthropies, was splashed on the front page of Yedioth Ahronoth on Sunday morning vowing to “suspend” all further financial support for Israel. This, in reaction to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s June 25 decision to “suspend” a long-negotiated January 2016 government decision which would have seen construction of a permanent pluralistic prayer pavilion, over which non-Orthodox Jewish leaders would have a share in oversight, in the southern section of Jerusalem’s Western Wall.
Fisher elaborated on Israeli Channel 2 on Sunday afternoon that he had spoken of “suspending” his philanthropy, rather than ending it, just as the Israeli government had “suspended” its original Western Wall commitment, and that he was reacting to the government moves in “language they understand.”
Speaking with The Times of Israel later on Sunday, Fisher said he used the term “suspend” to raise awareness of the dire consequences Israel would face in losing the support of the Diaspora. “I am trying to speak in the language of the politicians: They suspended this agreement and I said I was suspending my support,” he explained.
Having spoken out, he said, however, he was not planning any next step.

Khaled Abu Toameh: Palestinians: Mohammad Dahlan, the New Mayor of the Gaza Strip?

The "understandings" reached between Dahlan and Hamas may help alleviate the suffering of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and pave the way for improving the economy. However, the biggest winner will be Hamas, which is not being required to make any meaningful concessions other than allowing Dahlan and his loyalists back into the Gaza Strip.
Dahlan will be functioning under the watchful eye of Hamas, which will remain the real de facto and unchallenged ruler of the Gaza Strip. Hamas is willing to allow Dahlan to return to the Palestinian political scene through the Gaza Strip window. But he will be on a very short leash.
Dahlan's presence in the Gaza Strip will not deter Hamas from continuing with its preparations for another war with Israel.
Hamas is not going to stop digging tunnels along the border with Israel for fear of Dahlan. He will likely enjoy extensive civilian powers, but security matters will remain in the hands of Hamas and its military wing, Ezaddin al-Qassam.
Dahlan will find himself playing the role of fundraiser for the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip while Hamas hides behind his formidable political shoulders.
This new reality could buy quiet in the short term. In the long term, however, Hamas is likely to emerge as stronger and more prepared for the next war with Israel.
For Dahlan and Hamas, it's win-win. No wonder, then, that Abbas and his friends in the West Bank are angry and anxious.
The unholy alliance between Dahlan and Hamas, in their view, is nothing less than an attempt to establish a separate Palestinian state in the Gaza Strip.
The international audience might wish to take note: it is now official -- the division between the West Bank and Gaza Strip marks the end of the so-called two-state solution. On the Palestinian street, it appears that the Palestinians are closer than ever to achieving two separate entities of their own -- one that is run by Abbas's Palestinian Authority and another controlled by Hamas and Dahlan.

The recent outrage against Jewish participants at Chicago’s “Dyke March” got me thinking back to this quote from Robin Sheperd’s State Beyond the Pale that clearly spells out the totalizing awfulness represented by the anti-Israel agenda of which BDS is a part:

“Whatever it touches, the anti-Israel agenda always brings out the worst. It brings out the worst in journalists who cast aside their principles of balance and objectivity. It brings out the worst in seasoned commentators who substitute hysteria and foot stomping for calm analysis and enlightened discussion.

It brings out the worst in trade unions which put a hateful agenda above the interest of their members. It brings out the worst in diplomats who debase themselves by pandering to tyrannies against a democracy. It brings out the worst in artists and writers who submerge their commitment to beauty and truth in ugliness and lies. It brings out the worst of the great traditions of Left and Right which default back to their shabbiest instincts and their darkest prejudices.”

Focusing on the last few months when gay supporters of Israel have been subjected to harassment and threats, can we determine why the fight for gay rights is becoming the latest sacrificial victim to the all-devouring Moloch of anti-Israel animus?

Starting with the obvious, the yawning chasm between Israel’s and her foes (including the Palestinians) with regard to gay rights is so vast that BDSers claiming dominion over the entire Left end of the political spectrum must do something to neutralize the threat of someone pointing it out.

While their usual tactic of ignoring any virtue of the Jewish state and just hammering incessantly on its flaws (real or imagined) might work with some audiences, the shocking contrast between Gay Pride Parade in Tel Aviv and gays being thrown off tall buildings in Egypt and Iran is too gigantic to ignore out of existence.

And so they moved onto their next tactic to obscure reality, concocting a fake phenomenon called “Pinkwashing” which claims that any pro-gay policies of the Jewish state (and, more importantly, any mention of those policies by Israel’s supporters) is just a nefarious scheme to mask the true invidious nature of “The Occupation,” the only subject anyone is allowed to discuss (but only on the boycotter’s terms).

Creating such a distraction and getting people to embrace it, however, are two different things. So the current strategy of harassing and ostracizing Jews (regardless of their level of support for Israel) from “the movement” has become the enforcement mechanism to ensure the pointing finger never swerves from the Jewish state and the plight of gay people in the rest of the Middle East remains off the table for discussion.

Enforcement of ideological conformity requires ruthlessness on the part of those trying to create barricades around what can be legitimately discussed. It also requires that the community being taken over (in this case, the politically active gay community) be too weak or confused to do anything about it.

The means the ruthless use to achieve these ends involve creating or infiltrating a subset of the community being targeted (by creating “Queers for Palestine” style front groups) or infiltrating existing organizations and moving into positions of leadership with the sole purpose of subverting them towards the anti-Israel agenda. Once established, these forces can commit outrages like the one at the Chicago Dyke March, then defend their bigotry in the name of the entire community they claim to represent.

Much has been made about the language of “intersectionality” and “triggering” used to frame demands that Jews (and only Jews) leave the parade, but this simply shows how those amorphous concepts (presuming they ever meant much) are now simply tools for the ruthless to bully the reasonable.

Keep in mind that such a strategy can only work if the bulk of the people within the community being subverted do nothing. In fact, the boycotters count on majorities remaining indifferent, or at least not coming to the defense of Jewish members out of fear that they too will be swept up in a purge.

Fortunately, we have seen other communities (such as food coops and academic associations) where resoluteness by the rank and file immunized a group from being turned into yet another tool for anti-Israel propaganda. The health of those communities vs. the rot that accompanies those that succumb to the BDS virus demonstrates – once again – that willingness to fight on behalf of a tiny minority (Jews) is what separates a genuine movement for justice from one that subverts the language of justice for their own shabby instincts and dark prejudices.

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