Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Monday, July 18, 2011

Sky News blog notices the NGO problem in the PalArab territories

From Tim Marshall in Sky News:

An African UN worker in the West Bank recently remarked to a mutual friend 'When people see me coming they see a walking ATM machine'.

Driving through Ramallah, and then Jericho, the other day I was reminded of that quip as I looked at the smart restaurants, sparkling new hotels, and the scale of building work.

The Palestinian Authority likes to boast about the West Bank' s 8% economic growth, so does the Israeli government, which uses it to suggest that a prosperous Palestine would make an easier negotiating partner. They also know the Palestinians have more lose if a 3rd Intifada breaks out.

What they fail to remind us is that there are well over 200 NGOs in the West Bank and Gaza, and 30% of the GDP here comes from international aid. Palestinians are among the most foreign aid funded people in the world and the place is awash with money.

... Palestine is addicted to aid and as long as you are addicted you are in thrall to your supplier.

The billions that pour in here mean the Palestinian Authority does not need to try very hard to deliver the services expected by voters, it also stifles the private sector, inflates wages and causes an internal 'brain drain'.

The restaurant I went to in Ramallah had a line of expensive cars outside and ranks of NGO workers picking their way through an expensive menu inside. The NGOs do fine work alleviating suffering, helping projects with expertise etc, but they also recruit the best of the local talent and take advantage of their charitable status to get tax breaks.

No Palestinian business can compete with NGOs which routinely triple what a local firm would pay. Many NGOs fork out 'danger money' and even 'hardship payments' to both local and international staff which further undermines the local private businesses. So the NGOs get the brightest and the highest paid, and the private firms get the rest but without the tax exemptions.

“Palestine is the best-kept secret in the aid industry,” a medical NGO worker recently told This Week In Palestine, “People need field experience and Palestine sounds cool and dangerous because it can be described as a war zone, but in reality it’s quite safe and has all the comforts that internationals want.'

...Palestine remains a friendly place, welcoming, hospitable, full of air con, hi-fi, wi-fi and wine. Journalists also take advantage of this state of affairs, writing of the poverty and suffering of Gaza for example, before retiring to very expensive sea front hotels after an excellent dinner in one of the expensive fish restaurants.

(h/t Serious Black)

Malaysian newspaper warns of Jews taking over

From Utustan Online:

Do not let hidden hand colonialize the country

The reminder by former Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Rahim Noor that there exist certain element which ensures any countries that go against the Jews and Israel, will fall, and Malaysia is one of the countries, should not be taken lightly.

This is because at a time when the drumbeats in the name of human rights are getting boisterous, it will give the best opportunity for the pro-Jews group to interfere in any Muslims countries.

In this case, Malaysia is no exception especially when there are too many non-government organisations (NGOs) exist for the so-called struggle of human rights.

[Some] leaders will care for nothing as long as his political aspiration is achieved at whatever cost.

We have seen this happens in our country where a political leader is said to be very close with the Jew leaders and NGOs.

All this should make the people aware especially Muslims on the danger that awaits them.

Muslims and Malaysians should not allow any party especially the Jews to discreetly interfere in the country’s administration.

...The success and prosperity of Malaysia as a model Islamic nation has created jealousy to certain country and this is made worst by Malaysia’s firm stand in fighting against violence by the Jew in Palestine.

The Jews will find ways to destroy our prosperity and well-being.

We probably think that this is a misplace concern but we must not forget the fate of certain countries which have been victims of the hidden hands.

Utustan is the number one Malay-language newspaper in Malaysia.

(h/t JTA)

David Mamet describes anti-Israel behavior as theatre

A fascinating article in Jewish World Review:

David Mamet's understanding of drama unlocked secrets unrelated to the theater.

During a lifetime of creative achievement, the acclaimed playwright, screenwriter, and film director had seen how an audience could surrender part of its rationality for two hours in order to enjoy an illusion. But as he began reading and thinking about politics, he was horrified to learn how people also could surrender themselves into a mob. This epiphany was one factor in moving him from the political left to conservatism, a transition he expounds upon in his new book, "The Secret Knowledge: On the Dismantling of American Culture."

Mamet's insights as a dramatist illuminate another puzzle. Why have Israel's efforts at public diplomacy been so ineffective?

Mamet explains how mob psychology nullifies any presentation of the facts in Israel's endeavors to defend itself in the court of public opinion.

"Love of the Victim is an attempt at a non-deist recreation of religious feeling," Mamet writes. News organizations sell the Middle East conflict as entertainment, and "there is something of the sadomasochistic" in the Left's love of the Palestinians, whom audiences are conditioned to see in the role of Woman in Jeopardy (e.g., "The Rape of Jenin").

The price of admission to the extravaganza is indictment of the State of Israel, which is condemned and scorned regardless of the facts of history, the exercise of reason, or the recognition of cultural affinity. In the West's abandonment of Israel, Mamet charges, the audience does not care that Palestinian claims are insoluble, exaggerated, unjust, or skewed. To care would require audience members to do something, which would end their enjoyable position as viewers.

"Just as in the movies we would resent the fellow in the next seat explaining the effects," Mamet writes, "so actual information about the Middle East conflict is considered an intrusion and a distraction from the spectacle. One has made one's choice (bought one's tickets) and would like to be left in peace to enjoy the show."

So it doesn't matter if Israel factually proves that Jenin wasn't "raped" in 2002 and that Israel allowed its young soldiers to be killed in the twisted alleyways of that Samarian town rather than level the terror nests with artillery or airpower. The insights of Mamet the master entertainer, the communicator par excellence, reinforces this reviewer's belief that in the end it's not about facts, or even about right or wrong, but rather about emotional engagement. It's about who you love and who you don't. It's about whose side you're on.

"The Liberal West would like the citizens of Israel to take the only course which would bring about the end of the disturbing 'cycle of violence' which they hear of in the Liberal press. That course is abandoning their homes and country, leaving, with their lives, if possible, but leaving in any case.

"Is this desire anti-Semitism?" Mamet asks rhetorically.

"You bet your life it is."

(h/t GS)

Gaza again faces blackouts - not because of Israel

From Ma'an:

The sole operating power plant in the Gaza Strip is having a difficult time collecting revenue as the finance ministry in Ramallah is refusing to transfer funds, an official in Gaza said Sunday.

Head of the energy authority Kanan Ubeid said "we have a deficit of 50 percent from the total procurement [of funds] via various sources, either through loss or failure of residents to pay."

The crisis stems from collecting electricity revenues from the salaries of government employees because the finance ministry in Ramallah is refusing to transfer the revenues to the electricity company, he said.

The authority has managed to collect about 30 million shekels but is owed 60 million, he said.

There will be blackouts every couple of days in Gaza this summer - because no one is paying the bills.

Has Syria recognized Israel?

From the Syrian SANA news agency:

Foreign Ministry: Syria Recognizes State of Palestine on July 4th 1967 Lines with East Jerusalem as Its Capital

Jul 18, 2011
DAMASCUS, (SANA) – An official source at the Foreign Ministry on Monday issued the following statement: The Syrian Arab Republic recognizes the state of Palestine on the lines of July 4th 1967 with East Jerusalem as its capital on the basis of preserving the legitimate Palestinian rights.

The statement also says that Syria will view the office of the Palestinian Liberation Organization in Damascus as an embassy as of the date of issuing this statement.

The Six Day War was in June, 1967, not July.

So there were no July 4, 1967 lines, and hence - no "Palestine!"

OK, it was a mistake. In Arabic, they do say June 4, 1967, not July. But this brings up another question:

By recognizing that "Palestine" does not extend "from the river to the sea," does this mean that they are acknowledging Israel's existence?

The Western press is keen on interpreting Hamas' comments as accepting a Palestinian Arab state in those lines as meaning that they accept a two-state solution. Of course that is nonsense, but Hamas makes it clear that it is meant to be a temporary land grab until all of Israel would be destroyed. Here, Syria is explicitly recognizing "Palestine" within borders that have nothing to do with British Mandate Palestine. Was this a gaffe?

It is also sloppy for Syria to make such a statement - people like Noam Chomsky would interpret it as meaning that the Golan Heights is part of "Palestine'!

One other point: Syria has historically considered "Palestine" to be part of Southern Syria. They certainly believed that as of 1948. When did this change, and is this significant from that perspective?

It will be interesting to see if Assad gets any criticism from the supposedly non-existent people who want to see Israel destroyed for this recognition of a "Palestine" on only about a quarter the area of what they claim is "Historic Palestine."

(h/t YMedad, EG)

Palestinian Arab unions warn of a strike if they don't get paid

Earlier this month, the PA announced that it could only pay its employees half their salaries because of a budget shortfall, especially since Arab countries refused to pay their pledges to the welfare statelet.

Now the unions are getting restless, setting a deadline of July 26th for the PA government to explain what is going on and when they can expect to get paid. If not, they are threatening an "open-ended strike."

The PA's debt is now at about $2 billion.

Palestinian Authority prime minister Salam Fayyad says that the government had been borrowing from local banks to pay salaries, but the monthly deficit of $30 million is too much and the banks are no longer lending.

If the PA workers want better jobs, more of them should seek work in the industrial zones and the Jewish communities of Judea and Samaria. The salaries are higher and the jobs are more stable!

Scandal: Media hides damning poll that proves PalArab intransigence

As I predicted, the mainstream media has all but ignored the poll that the Jerusalem Post reported on last week that shows that most Palestinian Arabs want to destroy Israel - using the "two state solution" as a first stage towards that goal. The poll also denies Jewish history and shows that 92% are against even sharing Jerusalem as the capital of two states.

The intransigence is hard to miss in this survey - but the few times that the non-Zionist media mentions the poll, it downplayed or ignored the major results altogether.

Ha'aretz, while it mentioned the results briefly, buried the poll in the end of a story about how the Palestinian Arabs do not want a new intifada.

The Guardian's Harriet Sherwood, also at the very end of a longer article, purposefully ignored the parts of the poll that show that everything she reports is wrong, and instead reported it this way:

A recent opinion survey carried out in Gaza and the West Bank by the respected US pollster Stanley Greenberg found that at the top of the priority list for Palestinians were jobs, healthcare, water shortages and education. Mass protests against Israel, and even pursuing peace negotiations, came way down. Asked to choose, two-thirds favoured diplomatic engagement with Israel over violence.

Time magazine's Karl Vick, in a blog entry, mentioned one of the unpalatable results but did all he could to minimize it:

But by the same 2 to 1 margin they also oppose the two-state solution that's been the stated goal of negotiations. Most prefer ending up with a single state, in which Palestinians presumably would outnumber Jewish Israelis. The poll numbers shift some (to 44 percent positive) when the question becomes whether they "will accept a two-state solution."

Which is of course still a majority against a two state solution. But that is not his focus:

The most striking finding, though, was Palestinians' focus on daily life. Job creation was cited by 83 percent of West Bank residents asked what Abbas should make his top two priorities, followed (at 36 percent) by expansion of health care services and ending chronic water shortages.

AFP also reported on the poll, although practically no news outlets reproduced their article. Their version is equally guilty of hiding the truth, however, completely ignoring the parts about destroying Israel and highlighting the economic issues.

Outside of right-wing and explicitly Zionist news media (Commentary, a New York Post blog, Hot Air) these were the only mentions of this survey I could find.

The mentions by Time and The Guardian show that the mainstream media is quite aware that the poll exists and what it says. They read the Jerusalem Post. But it proves that years of their lazy assumptions, their self-righteous op-eds, and their insufferable smugness at pretending to be Middle East experts are all completely wrong - and they cannot abide reporting any facts that contradict their cherished beliefs.

This is more than media bias. This is a scandal.

The Israel Project should release the raw poll results tomorrow, from what I hear. It will be most interesting to see how the media reacts to, or ignores, the full findings.

(h/t Kramerica, CAMERA)

Morning links (updated)

Does the anti-boycott law harm free speech?

500 Arabs studying in Ariel University, insist there is no racism there.

Benny Morris effectively responds to Efraim Karsh's latest criticisms of him.

CNN looks at what might be a Jewish city from King David's time.

Spain's former PM: "The unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state, and its international recognition, would be a huge mistake."

A Norwegian historian says in an interviews that Americans and Jews have a "demonic restlessness which once drove the Europeans...It is the Jews who pick up the crusader’s sword and point it towards the east." The reporter doesn't challenge him.

Anti-Israel MK Zoabi is banned from Knesset debates because of her participation on the floptilla. (Correction: Mostly because of her kicking a member of Knesset security.)

(h/t Zach N., sophie, Kramerica)

MJ Rosenberg claims no one is trying to delegitimize Israel. Ha!

An op-ed by MJ Rosenberg in the LA Times:

Israel can't be delegitimized, and no one is trying to do so. But the idea does serve the purpose of diverting attention from the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and the blockade of the Gaza Strip.

Suddenly, all the major pro-Israel organizations are anguishing about "delegitimization." Those who criticize Israeli policies are accused of trying to delegitimize Israel, which supposedly means denying Israel's right to exist.

The concept of delegitimization has been used as a weapon against Israel's critics at least as far back as 1975, when then-U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Daniel Patrick Moynihan accused the international body of delegitimizing Israel by passing a "Zionism is racism " resolution. That may have been the last time the term was used accurately.

Is this guy serious? What does he think the entire purpose of the BDS movement is, if not to delegitimize Israel? What exactly doesn't he understand about the slogans being shouted outside the Ahava store just this weekend, "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free"? (There is also nothing "sudden" about it, as he admits himself - the term has been around since at least 1975 and the concepts since 1948.)

Maybe Rosenberg needs to read an actual article, published in the mainstream pro-PalArab media, that says explicitly "our aim is to delegitimize Israel." Would that convince him?

Luckily, that exact article was published only this past week in the Uprooted Palestinians site, the Palestine Free Voice site, the far left MWC News and the French Palestine-Solidarite site, among others. It says:

The progressive movement of de-legitimization of the colonial and racist Israel has spread throughout the world. International conferences, a Durban (2), international forums, some commissions of the United Nations itself have also contributed to the change. People around the world claim more and more solidarity with the resistance and has organized to block the roads in their own countries, boycott of Israeli made goods and sanctions against representatives of the Zionist entity, including arrest warrants of its war criminals. And the proliferation of the Zionist entity in media bypasses the media subject to Zionist lobbies and disseminates information and anti-Zionist analysis.

This is not a Zionist site claiming that the so-called progressive movement is working to delegitimize Israel - but the "progressives" themselves!

Lawrence Davidson at Redress.cc put his own spin on this, only two weeks ago, in response to another Rosenberg piece:

There is a growing, world-wide movement of civil society seeking the isolation of Israel at all levels. This is the same strategy that brought change to apartheid South Africa. And, towards the growth of this movement, intellectual debate is very useful and important. It is no accident that the Zionists point to those who advocate boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel as the number one enemies within their category of delegitimizers. I think they know, or at least sense, that the BDS movement is the very best long-term strategy for those who wish to force Israel to rid itself of what makes it truly illegitimate – its Zionist ideology.

Sounds a lot like the "Zionism is racism" argument that Rosenberg admits was an attempt to delegitimize Israel!

These are only two recent examples. For Rosenberg to argue that the "pro-Palestinian' movement represented by the likes of the late Vittorio Arrigoni or George Galloway do not do everything they can to de-legitimize Israel is beyond absurd. In fact, every major Palestinian Arab group worldwide insists on the "right to return" - what is that if not an effort to delegitimize Zionism and the very reason for Israel's existence?

There is also the small matter of Iran and its satellites in Syria, Lebanon and Gaza. They make it pretty clear that they will never accept the state of Israel in any form.

Then again, he continues to push lies himself:

The Palestinians are not, after all, seeking statehood in Israeli territory but in territory that the whole world, including Israel, recognizes as having been occupied by Israel only after the 1967 war. Rather than seeking Israel's elimination, the Palestinians who intend to go to the United Nations are seeking establishment of a state alongside Israel.

Yet the poll of Palestinian Arabs that was publicized last week shows that 66% of Palestinian Arabs say that the "two state solution" is only meant to be a stage on the way to - you guessed it - destroying Israel. Not a poll of Hamas members, but of Palestinian Arabs who already live in the areas of British Mandate Palestine as a whole. (And I would bet that the Arabs of Palestinian descent who live in Syria, Lebanon and elsewhere would be even less accepting of a two-state solution.)

And these wonderful moderates that Rosenberg is praising for being willing to accept a state in the territories occupied by Jordan and Egypt from 1948-1967 are still insisting, today, on the same "right to return" meant to destroy Israel.

The truth is completely different from how Rosenberg is painting it.

It is true that Israel is not going anywhere, and that there is no short-term existential danger from BDS or flotillas or Iran. But it is also true that the delegitimization campaign has been effective at making Israel look like a rogue state, and exaggerating its perceived crimes way out of proportion to reality and to use that twisted view of reality to add more ammunition against Israel's very existence - from NGOs, from "non-aligned" nations, and from the entire Muslim world. The war against Israel is a long-term battle, designed to isolate and weaken it to the point where it will eventually be destroyed - militarily, demographically, or otherwise.

And Rosenberg's writings, whether he intends to or not, helps work towards that goal.

Maybe that is why he writes such nonsense - because he doesn't want to admit his part in the entire worldwide campaign to de-legitimize and ultimately replace Israel with another Arab state (or two.)

Ridiculous Daf Yomi question

If you shecht with a light saber, it the animal kosher?

Discuss.

Finally, a flotilla to support Syria. (Assad's Syria, that is.)

From YNet:

Some 400 Lebanese women arrived in Syria Sunday to show solidarity with the protesters – the pro-government protesters, that is. They women did not come to to side with the activists calling for reform and democracy, but rather to support Bashar Assad's regime.

The women, who intended to set sail from Lebanon to the Gaza Strip aboard the Miriam ship in June 2010 but were eventually barred from doing so, chose a more easily accessible destination this time – Damascus. They travelled overland to stand with Assad against "the schemes being plotted against him."

At 7 am, the women boarded eight buses and set out from Beirut's Gallery Hotel towards the Beqaa Valley.

Samar Al-Hajj, a spokeswoman for the group, expressed contentment with the initiative's progress.

"The Lebanese and Syrian security forces have facilitated the convoy's passage at the border, and congratulated it," she said in an interview with the Hezbollah-affiliated Al Manar television station. "Upon arriving on Syrian land, they welcomed us in a moving manner. We, Miriam's women, cry only on happy occasions, and we did shed tears of happiness.

"We came to Syria to tell the truth, because it is the land of truth and resistance," Al-Hajj said. "We came to stop the attempts to isolate Syria, and to remove the barriers of fear inseminated by those worried about the people and the regime's strength."

Certainly we will be seeing statements from the Free Gaza movement, USTOGAZA and Viva Palestina distancing themselves from these pro-Palestinian Arab, pro-Syrian regime activists. After all, as they never tire of telling us, they are purely interested in non-violence, and democracy, and equal rights, and international law, and having some of their own supporting a despotic, brutal regime would be way too hypocritical for them to even be able to live with themselves.

(h/t Kramerica)

Hezbollah now has SCUDs and other strategic weapons

From Israel Hayom:

The massive civilian uprising in Syria has not stopped Syrian President Bashar Assad from transferring ballistic missiles from storage sites in Syria to Hezbollah in Lebanon, the London Times reported Friday. The report says that despite the growing protests sweeping Syrian cities, the transfers have in fact increased in frequency in recent weeks.

Last year, Syria sent Hezbollah two Scud D missiles, each with the ability to deliver a payload of one metric ton. Hezbollah has received eight more such rockets since the beginning of this year, The Times reported. Each Scud D has a range of 700 kilometers, enabling Hezbollah to target any point in Israel and Jordan, as well as some parts of Turkey.

Hezbollah has also armed itself with M-600 missiles, which are based on the Fatah 110 model made by Iran. The M-600 is capable of hitting targets at a range of 250 kilometers, with a 500 kg payload. 　

“There is a new reality now,” The Times said. “This is the first time a terrorist organization has acquired weapons considered ‘strategic’. Until now, only the armed forces of countries were in possession of such weapons.”

This is a very big deal.

But it is likely that the idea didn't come from Damascus but from Tehran. Assad doesn't have much incentive from his perspective to transfer weapons to Hezbollah now, but Iran wants to hedge its bets in the region as Assad's regime may be in real trouble from the increasing uprisings.

And now that Hezbollah effectively controls Lebanon, it makes sense that Iran will start arming it in a manner of arming a state.

Why the increase in rockets now?

Ha'aretz' Amos Harel and Avi Issacharoff have a theory as to why there has been an uptick in rocket attacks over the past week:

At the start of May, Hamas and Fatah signed a reconciliation agreement in Cairo. Since then, despite a declaration of goodwill on both sides, almost nothing has happened to move this forward.

The Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority has not violated its security arrangements with Israel in the West Bank. As already stated, the fire of the last two weeks has been from smaller factions, among them Hamas deserters and groups taking their cues from Al-Qaida. It is possible that Hamas will not this time stick its head above the parapet to rein in the fire, and the “motivational factor” is the power struggle with Fatah and Hamas’ desire to return to the center stage regarding the conflict with Israel.

In other words, this an attempt to show Fatah that without any progress on a comprise agreement, Hamas is capable of making trouble with Israel on the diplomatic front, even before the PA goes to the United Nations in September with its plan for recognition of a Palestinian state.

This makes sense.

(h/t Folderol)

A buyer's guide to products of Judea and Samaria. From Meretz.

Israel's tiny far-left party Meretz has published a list of products they would like to boycott because they are produced by Jewish-owned companies on what they consider the wrong side of a mythical line that existed for 19 years out of the past 3000.

So it is only fair that I reproduce their list of these politically incorrect Israeli companies that sell their products in the US. I'm sure Meretz would approve.

Ahava - Manufactures cosmetic products using minerals from the Dead Sea.

SodaStream (The Soda Club Group) - Manufactures and distributes home carbonating devices and flavoringsfor soft drinks.

Ahdut Factory for Tehina Halva and Sweets - Achdut is a factory manufacturing tahini, halva and sweets. Brand name Achva.

Amnon and Tamar - Produce herbal seasonings and spices.

Beigel and Beigel - A baked goods' company, manufacturing pastries, pretzels and mini cracker snacks.

Maya Foods, The Jerusalem Spice of Life - Manufactures, packs and markets food products, including spices, sweets, rice and legumes. Brand names: Maya, Super Class, and Shufersal.

Shalgal (Food) - Manufacture frozen dough cakes, pies and pastries. The company manufactures products for General Mills (Pillsbury).

Shamir Salads - Manufacture and distribute pre-packaged chilled salads, dips and spreads.

Gat Shomron Winery - The winery produced kosher wines since 2003.

Givon Winery - The winery, founded in 2001, It produces around 5,000 bottles of kosher wines a year, and markets wines to the US online.

Gush Etzion Winery - Wines are available in the USA through "Royal Wines"

Hacormim Vineyard - The winery manufactures wines and fruit liquers.

Livni Winery - Wines are available directly though the winery's own website.

Noah/Hevron Heights Winery. Labels: Noah, Gedeon, La Villa, Village Superior, Jerusalem Heights, and Makhpelah Special Reserve.

Psagot Winery - The wines are marketed by Royal Wine Corp. and DFA - Duty Free of America.

Tura Estate Winery - The wines are available in the US - sold on Only Kosher Wine.com

On a similar note, the Muqata notes:

In response to the anti-boycott law, Peace Now went all out and declared a boycott on products from Judea and Samaria. They printed up fancy ads listing the top companies to boycott. Other leftists went around putting stickers on “Settler” products in stores.

The number one company on the list “Meshek Achiya” a producer of fine olive oil reported a record jump in sales in Israel this week. The same for Psagot Winery and Tekoa Farms. In fact, all the companies that the Left targeted reported a jump in sales.

Why? Because the average Israeli wanted to show their support to the Settler enterprise and against boycotts of Israel and against the Left, and the Left told them who best to buy from to show that support.

He also notes how these boycotts would end up hurting Arabs, and quotes an astute observation:

Oh, and here’s a question for you (as asked in Makor Rishon).

If Ahmed Tibi, an Israeli citizen currently living over the Green Line (making him a Settler) were to open a factory, would the Left call for its boycott too? Or are their calls to boycott actually racist and only targeting Jews?

BDS Fail - at new Gaza supermarket (updated with Chanukah gelt!)

The flotilla still has one remaining vessel:

One of the boats that was scheduled to take part in the Gaza-bound flotilla last week has set sail to Egypt from Greece, the Greek coastguard announced on Saturday. According to the coastguard, the Dignite/Al Karama left the tiny Greek island of Kastellorizo for the Egyptian port of Alexandria.

But did the flotidiots think ahead to ensure that they had enough food for the return journey from Gaza?

Lucky for them, their trip was delayed, because on Friday a new supermarket opened in Gaza that would be perfect for ensuring that they don't suffer the starvation that they claim Gazans are in danger of.

Introducing: Metro Market, conveniently located on Al Shuhada Street in Gaza City:

Actually, if they do visit Metro, they would be forced to protest the fact that it is not adhering to BDS because it sells so many Israeli products - and even features them prominently:

It's a terrible world when Israel boycotters can't even convince stores in Gaza to stop selling Israeli goods.

Original photos here and here. There are lots of them.

(h/t Gaia K)

UPDATE: I had missed this great one: milk chocolate Chanukah coins!