Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Thursday, May 22, 2014

05/22 Links Pt2: Why Are the Irish Anti-Israel?; BDS Fails Round-up; China buys control of Tnuva

From Ian:

Why Are the Irish Increasingly Siding With Palestine Over Israel?

As the Irish conflict has ended, or even as a result of it, Israel has become the favored target of an adventurous but ineffectual activist left in search of a cause that is both suitably righteous and distant. Unlike with other conflicts—say, the invasion of Western Sahara by Morocco—Israel’s modernity marks it as recognizably Western. It can easily be cast in the role of being little more than a U.S.-backed aggressor against the noble Palestinians unfettered by modern affectations.
Johnson say this does a disservice to Palestinians.
“When the Palestinians are anything other than [victims of Israel], when they’re being thrown off rooftops by Hamas or are being starved by Assad in Syrian refugee camps, [pro-Palestine activists] don’t have any interest in that,” he says. “They’re pro a certain kind of agency-less Palestinian. It’s politically useless.” (h/t MtTB)

The Left’s Hatred Of Israel Has A Rich History

Communists saw no anti-Semitism in the Soviet Union; modern radicals deny Arab anti-Semitism.
Antisemitism and the American Far Left is the first systematic study of the American far left’s role in promoting anti-Semitism (and at times combating it). The book covers the Communist Party (CP) from 1920 onward, tracing all of its often sudden and dramatic shifts in approach and response to anti-Semitism and Israel; the role of Trotskyists; the new left and its black nationalist allies; and the contemporary remnants of the new left.
I analyze the deficiencies of the far left’s explanations of Nazism and the Holocaust, marred by its commitment to a simplistic class analysis. The far left ignored anti-Semitism’s deep roots in Christian theology and culture, claiming that the ruling class merely propagated it to deflect working-class anger and undermine unity among the masses.

Is the Rockefeller Brothers Fund consciously funding delegitimization of Israel?

The Rockefeller Brothers Fund (RBF) is one of the more august grant-making institutions in the United States. Founded in 1940 by the sons of legendary oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller—America’s first billionaire, and a man whose political reputation was distinguished by his support for the Union during the Civil War as well as his commitment to educational opportunities for African Americans—the fund has always been a progressive enterprise, with a current emphasis on good governance, environmentalism, and the promotion of peace.
It is in that latter category, an area that the fund calls “peacebuilding,” that serious concerns have been raised regarding its funding commitments to NGOs working on the Arab-Israeli conflict. NGO Monitor—an Israel-based organization dedicated to analyzing the activities of civil society groups working in the Middle East, along with those groups’ funders—has just published a report which casts doubt on RBF’s goal to promote a “more just, sustainable, and peaceful world,” for the simple reason that many of the Middle Eastern beneficiaries of its largesse demonize the state of Israel in stridently anti-Zionist terms.
For example, “Breaking the Silence,” a small group of left-wing former IDF soldiers who accused of Israel of committing war crimes during its 2008-09 defensive operation against Hamas terrorists in Gaza, has received $145,000 from RBF. A commentary and opinion website called +972 (named after the international dialing code for Israel) has received $130,000 from the fund. +972 regularly publishes articles endorsing the analogy between Israel and the apartheid regime in South Africa, and recently plastered its front page with articles about the “Nakba”—the Arabic word for “catastrophe” that is employed by Palestinian propagandists to describe the creation of the state of Israel. Among +972’s contributors is the odious Yossi Gurvitz, who recently tried to persuade me via Twitter that Judaism is a racist religion, drawing on the discredited tropes of Soviet Communist anti-Jewish literature to make his case. +972 has also cross-posted content co-written by the anti-Semitic American writer Max Blumenthal.

Anti-Semitism is a perversion

Guess who said that strong sentence in the title.
It was Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan. It was not too long ago; June 10, 2005, at a ceremony organized by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in New York, where ADL Chairman Abraham Fox presented a “Courage” award to Erdoğan for a “Better future for our children.” In his speech, Fox said Turkey, “which was established by the great Kemal Atatürk,” had been setting a unique model for Muslim countries with its “secular system.”
Accepting the ADL award on behalf of Turkey, Erdoğan said the following: “Anti-Semitism is a shameful mental illness; it is a perversion. The Jewish genocide [Holocaust] is the heaviest crime against humanity throughout history. Genocide, discrimination, Islamophobia, Christianophobia, ethnic cleansing are all different forms of the same illness.”
If anyone in today’s Turkey said the same words, they would not only be labeled a “Zionist,” but also be accused of being a “spy for Israel” by certain figures in Erdoğan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Parti) and pro-government media.

Child on Hamas kiddie TV: "I shall buy a bullet"

From MEMRI:

The Hamas TV children's show "Pioneers of Tomorrow" recently hosted a young Palestinian girl, who recited a poem to commemorate the Nakba. "I shall buy a bullet, at any price," proclaimed Zahra Zaed, and Nahoul, the giant bee character co-hosting the show, cried words of encouragement. The show aired on Al-Aqsa TV on May 16.

Following is an excerpt:

Child TV host: Will you recite another poem for us – "The Bullet"?

Giant bee Nahoul: That's great. How wonderful, Zahra.

Zahra: I shall walk barefoot.
I shall walk in the pouring rain.
Through thorns, despite the fire,
Despite the pain...
I shall buy a bullet, at any price.
They dispersed my family,
They ripped apart my books,
And they stole my smile.
Do not ask me what there is between me and them.
Between me and them, there are wars and bloodshed.
So I shall buy a bullet, at any price.
I shall buy a bullet, at any price.

Muslim Voice for Peace:

We believe in two states for two peoples: Israel for the Jewish people and Palestine for the Palestinian Arab people

We believe that both sides must make compromises for peace

We believe that terrorism is always wrong

We desire a warm peace that includes cultural and trade relations to benefit both our peoples

We are willing to bring our message of true peace to everyone, Muslim and non-Muslim alike

Unfortunately, we don't exist

(h/t Screw Socialism)

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine is a leftist group that has been part of the PLO for decades.

Well, maybe not any more.

Al Akhbar reveals the dirty backroom politics of "Palestine."

News of the Palestinian left’s objection to Fatah and Hamas sharing power in the government passed quickly and without much attention. But the new public rift between Mahmoud Abbas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) makes significant revelations about what politicians are up to.

Al-Akhbar learned from informed Palestinian sources that the situation has secretly reached a boiling point and a level of unprecedented tension between the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas. Abbas has decided to end his relationship once and for all with the PFLP. He also halted the transfer of the money allocated to the PFLP and financial dues issued by the Palestinian National Fund, and prevented the organization from receiving invitations to attend any official meetings including the session of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s (PLO) Executive Committee.

The sources reported that “the PFLP’s anger unleashed against Abbas” by leaders in and outside Palestine expresses their rejection of “the political direction adopted by the powerful leadership in the PLO and came after the PFLP’s demands to stop the corruption and unilateral approach adopted by Abbas.” Therefore, these unannounced decisions, in the sources’ opinion, are aimed at punishing the PFLP for its positions “but have no legitimacy and no value, rather they are illegal and strictly punitive in nature.”

The same sources told Al-Akhbar that Abbas’ reaction was not just the result of the PFLP’s rejection of negotiations. “What prompted him was the campaign that was recently launched by the front regarding political and financial corruption in the PLO’s institutions, the way Abbas monopolizes Palestinian decision-making and the limiting of consultations about government formation to Fatah and Hamas.”
...

A PFLP leader, who preferred to remain anonymous, denounced the decisions saying at one of the meetings: “Would Abbas have taken such a step had the PFLP abandoned its position on negotiations for example or provided support inside the PLO or recognized Israel?” He wondered: “Does Abbas think that cutting money allocated to the families of martyrs, political prisoners and activists inside the PFLP - which are their inherent right - is going to dissuade it from its principled and historical positions? Does one person, regardless of his political status, have the right to expel a founding faction of the PLO without dialogue and an institutional decision?” He went on to say: “The PFLP is the second organization in the PLO and one of its main and founding factions... Abbas’ decision reflects exactly this unilateral, exclusionist approach that he represents and adopts inside the Palestinian Authority and Fatah.”

This article is obviously spin, and Al Akhbar is a Hezbollah-leaning outlet that hates Abbas. The PFLP is another terror group. (They confirm the main part of this story on their website.) But this story does show that Abbas has been acting like a dictator, ruthlessly cutting out people who don't agree with him.

There is really little difference between how Abbas acts and how Egypt's former president Mubarak acted. Like Mubarak, Abbas is corrupt, he ignores any pretense of accommodating political opponents, he is ruthless against his enemies, and he acts like an absolute ruler and he is incredibly thin-skinned. And like Mubarak, Abbas managed to ingratiate himself with the West despite his ruthlessness and corruption..

And it is possible that, like Mubarak, Abbas might be overthrown by the secular leftists represented by the PFLP - but the Islamists will swoop in and take over instead.

05/22 Links Pt1: Robert Mackey, Portrait of a Propagandist; Hamas: 'Peace' via Ethnic-Cleansing

From Ian:

Survivor Recounts 1972 PFLP-Red Army Terror Attack at Tel Aviv’s Lod Airport

Ros Sloboda, a wounded survivor of the 1972 terror attack at Israel’s Lod airport in Tel Aviv said, “I was just waiting for the next bullet to hit me, because I was convinced that would kill me,” in a chilling interview on the BBC program ‘Witness’ that aired on Wednesday.
In May, 1972, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine recruited three gunmen from Japan’s Red Army terror group to carry out the airport attack to avenge the killing of two Arab hijackers earlier that month.
The three Japanese students arrived on an Air France flight from Paris. Once their luggage came through, they drew automatic weapons and hand grenades, and began shooting at people indiscriminately, killing 26 people and injuring more than 70 others. One of the terrorists killed himself, another was shot by airport security guards and the third was arrested.

Robert Mackey, Portrait of a Propagandist

Consider Robert Mackey’s recent column in “The Lede” concerning a violent Palestinian protest where two demonstrators were killed. A video, released by the pro-Palestinian group “Defence (sic) for Children International Palestine” purports to show the killing of two seemingly innocent people moseying along on a placid street. The article’s headline says it all; “Video Shows Killing of Palestinians on ‘Nakba Day.’” There you have it, Israel is guilty and the video proves it. Of course no one has scrutinized the heavily edited video and it still has to undergo an authentication process but Mackey, turned judge, jury and executioner accepts the Palestinian narrative without reservation or equivocation and has turned an allegation into fact. By contrast, other publications that covered the incident featured headlines that treated the story as an allegation or claim that had yet to be proven.
Mackey has even been known to discount Israeli positions when those positions are supported by UN findings as was the case in November 2012 when an errant Palestinian rocket fell short (of its intended civilian target) and landed on a Palestinian house killing an infant. Israel was initially blamed but in one of those rare instances of UN lucidity, a subsequent UN investigation revealed that the cause of the blast was likely Palestinian rocket fire. Mackey went through torturous lengths to cast doubt on the UN report. Despite overwhelming evidence exonerating Israel, Mackey gives credence to the notion that Israel was to blame and this proved too much to bear for many of his readers who, in the talkback section, offered scathing criticism of his skewed take. In fact, one commentator, noting some glaring omissions in Mackey’s reporting, actually forced Mackey to revise the article and include the omitted material. Aside from the noted correction, Mackey struck a defensive tone when responding to his detractors and attributed the criticism to petty partisanship. Now if that’s not the pot calling the kettle black, I don’t know what is.

We've seen this before

On numerous occasions, the Palestinian propaganda machine has produced edited or staged films to incriminate Israeli soldiers. But even though we have seen this script before, the Israel Defense Forces has an obligation to conduct a thorough probe to uncover the facts, as in past similar incidents. Such is the case when human lives are cut short.
The world is hypocritical when it comes to the desire of the Jews to live in peace and security. In Syria, hundreds of people, women and children among them, are being killed every day. Since the Syrian uprising began three years ago, hundreds of thousands of Syrians have been slaughtered, including by chemical weapons, but the world is silent. In Nigeria, Libya, Sudan, Egypt, Yemen, Iraq, east Asia and many other places around the globe, heinous crimes are committed, and the world says nothing. But when Israeli soldiers try to protect themselves from violent rioters, the world cries out.

Should Palestinian Arabs have free will? Their leaders don't think so

Having free choice is a good thing, unless you pretend to be "pro-Palestinian."

We've seen in the past that Arab leaders like to pretend that not a single Palestinian Arab "refugee" would want to become a naturalized citizen of Arab countries, even though every single time they had the chance thousands of them jump at the opportunity. Yet in the name of "Palestinian unity," self-proclaimed "leaders" rail against giving individuals the opportunity to make their own decisions that may be at odds with the political will of the unelected leaders.

For some reason, not too many Western liberals are upset over this steamrolling of individual choice.

Now we have another example, that of Christians in Israel. From AFP:

In a region marked by sectarian division, Israel is trying to bring its Christian Palestinian population on side in a move aimed at splitting them from their Muslim compatriots, experts say.

This Israeli charm offensive has recently led to the army calling for the first time on Arab Christians to sign up for military service, and in a newly-passed law which formalizes a distinction between Christian Palestinians and Muslims.
...
But ahead of a key visit to the Holy Land by Pope Francis which begins on Saturday, this apparent strategy of divide and rule has Israel's Palestinian community worried.

Israel's Palestinian population -- descendents of some 160,000 Palestinians who remained after Israel was established in 1948 -- today numbers 1.4 million, 130,000 of whom are Christians.

Military service is not compulsory for Israel's Palestinians, except for the tiny Druze community, and only around 100 Christians volunteer for service each year, army figures show.

But last month, Israel said it would start sending enlistment papers to all Christian Arabs of military service age, angering Palestinian MKs who accused the government of seeking to divide Christians from Muslims.

The reaction of the Christian Churches was not slow in coming.

In Nazareth, the largest Palestinian city in Israel, the Greek Orthodox Church sacked one of its priests after he publicly encouraged young Christians to join the army to understand "the importance of serving and getting involved in the country in which they live and which protects them."

The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which represents the Roman Catholic Church, protested against the army's decision to seek a tenfold increase in the number of Christian recruits annually.

"The issue is that these Christians are Palestinian," said Michel Sabbah, patriarch between 1988-2008 and the first Palestinian to hold the post for centuries.

"If you accept yourself as Palestinian, you must be logical with yourself -- you don't go into an army which maintains occupation on Palestinians, or kills Palestinians.
...
Opponents accuse nationalist right-wing elements within Netanyahu's coalition of playing the "sectarianism" card and seeking to create a divide between Christians and Muslims.

"I don't think that Israel is serious about integrating Arab Christians in Israeli society on the basis of full, equal-rights citizens. This is a clear attempt to split the Arab-Palestinian minority in Israel," said political analyst Wadie Abu Nasser.

What is missing from this discussion?

Individual choice!

Israel isn't drafting any Christians into the IDF. It isn't forcing them to do anything. It isn't stopping any of them from identifying as "Palestinian."

But as we saw recently, some 43% of Arabs in Israel identify more as Arab Israelis than as Palestinian. For Michel Sabbah to flatly say that "these Christians are Palestinians" He is disenfranchising two out of every five Arabs, and I suspect that the percentage of Christians who identify as Israeli is higher.

Yet AFP cannot find a single person to argue that Israeli Arabs, or Israeli Christian Arabs, should have the simple right to decide for themselves what they want to do.

If you are liberal, isn't that what your position must be? Isn't dissent from within one's community something to be celebrated, not insulted?

Or is choice something that is only for Westerners, but not for Arabs?

Being against Arab individuality and choice sounds a little racist to me.

How J-Street Lies

For some reason, I'm on J-Street's mailing list, and I received this:

One-stater Jack Kingston qualified for a run-off in Georgia's Republican Senate primary and is now one step closer to winning the Republican nomination.

Kingston was a member of last Congress' infamous "One State Caucus." He's on the record urging Israel to annex the West Bank and forgo its Jewish and democratic character. Now's the time to dig deep and do everything in our power to prevent Jack Kingston from taking the oath of office next January.

Jack Kingston's ideas are dangerous for Israel.

Not only has he pushed Israel to annex the West Bank, but Kingston also called the Obama Administration's two state diplomacy "misguided". And he even claimed that the President had "turned his back on Israel" by pursuing a diplomatic deal to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

So I decided to look up when Kingston said he supported Israel's annexation of Judea and Samaria.

Here is the legislation he co-sponsored, from 2011:

Supporting Israel's right to annex Judea and Samaria in the event that the Palestinian Authority continues to press for unilateral recognition of Palestinian statehood at the United Nations.

In other words, he supports Israel's right to act unilaterally if the PLO acts unilaterally first.

But does he support a one-state solution? Not at all. Here's another piece of legislation he co-sponsored in 2011, HR 268:

Reaffirms support for a negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict resulting in two states, a democratic Jewish state of Israel and a democratic Palestinian state living in peace and mutual recognition.

States that any Palestinian unity government must forswear terrorism, accept Israel's right to exist, and reaffirm previous agreements made with Israel.

Opposes any attempt to establish or seek recognition of a Palestinian state outside of an agreement negotiated between Israel and the Palestinians.

Urges Palestinian leaders to: (1) cease efforts at circumventing the negotiation process, including through a unilateral declaration of statehood or by seeking recognition of a Palestinian state from other nations or the United Nations (U.N.); and (2) resume direct negotiations with Israel.

Supports the Administration's opposition to a unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state.

Calls upon the Administration to lead a diplomatic effort to oppose a unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state and to oppose recognition of a Palestinian state by other nations within the U.N. and in other international forums prior to a final agreement between Israel and the Palestinians.

Affirms that Palestinian efforts to circumvent direct negotiations will harm U.S.-Palestinian relations and will have implications for U.S. assistance programs for the Palestinians and the Palestinians Authority (PA).

Reaffirms the U.S. statutory requirement precluding assistance to a PA that includes Hamas unless that PA and all its ministers accept Israel's right to exist and all prior agreements and understandings with the United States and Israel.

This resolution reflects the broad Israeli and Zionist consensus. And it supports two states.

J-Street is lying. As usual.

I cannot find any statement of support for this resolution on the J-Street website. I suspect that they were against it.

So who is pro-Israel again?

I strongly suspect that J-Street lies about most of the pro-Israel politicians they oppose.

Academics debating anti-Israel resolution reveal their antisemitism

From Jonathan Marks at The Chronicle of Higher Education:

Need a break from grading? Head on over here, where someone has posted a partial record of Modern Language Association member comments on resolution 2014-1, urging the “United States Department of State to contest Israel’s denials of entry to the West Bank by United States academics who have been invited to teach, confer, or do research at Palestinian universities.” It is a spectacle. How often do you get to see scholarly colleagues refer to one another as “Zionist attack dogs?”

In January, the MLA’s Delegate Assembly narrowly passed the controversial resolution at the association’s annual meeting. In March, the Executive Council decided to send it to the full membership for a vote, which began on April 21 and will close on June 1. The debate over the resolution took place from mid-March to mid-April, at a site open only to MLA members. Only part of it has been posted at the link above, but the rest I found this morning mysteriously lodged in the jaws of my Labrador retriever, to be known hereafter as my Zionist retrieving dog.

To some extent, there is normal debate over this closed message board. There are arguments for and against the resolution. But plenty of Israel haters reveal their antisemitism. To wit (I added the affiliations):

It is time that Zionists are asked to finally account for their support to the illegal occupation of Palestine since 1967. This resolution rightly targets only Israel given the humongous influence that Jewish scholars have in the decision making process of Academia in general.

Posted 20 Mar 4:11 pm by Alessio Lerro [Comparative literature, Rutgers]
_________________________________________________________________________

Does anyone remember Edward Said, our beloved late leader? I think he must be turning in his grave to see how far we have regressed since his tenure! What is stiking [sic] here is not that that Resolution 2014-1 is eliciting debate. Rather, what stands out in bold relief is just how intolerant of debate are its detractors. As on the broader political scene, moves to seek justice and opportunity for Palestinians (or to remove obstacles to achieving those goals) are countered by Zionist attack dogs. When the Zionist lobby railroads its way through Congress, universities, and civil society no request is made for equal time for the other side. Only when a counter voice is raised in this tightly controlled wilderness, do the proponents of Israeli exceptionalismn [sic] cry foul. VOTE YES on this simple proposition seeking to facilitate academic freedom and inquiry in the Palestinian Occupied Territories.

Posted 22 Mar 5:16 pm by Elizabeth Jane Ordóñez [Spanish, Metropolitan University Denver]
_________________________________________________________________________
Elizabeth Jane Ordóñez's dismissal of everyone who opposes this resolution as "Zionist attack dogs" is insulting, contemptible, and unacceptable.

Posted 22 Mar 6:46 pm by Peter C. Herman
_________________________________________________________________________
"Zionist attack dogs" was probably used metaphorically. However, considering the undue and unfair pressures being exercised on universities by Zionist funders and lobby groups to quell any dissent or any objection to Israel's colonial activities, as well as Zionist academics using their past or present positions (as with Cory Nelson) to strangle resistant voices, not to mention Zionist politicians pushing the US into disastrous wars, the expression maybe [sic] severe but not far from the truth. I can understand that some Jews can be mild Zionists (not sure if the Christian variety in North America can be that mild), but Zionism is a harmful ideology that has caused tremendous damage to the minds of otherwise reasonable people as well as disrupted and unsettled the lives of millions of people it has dispossessed.

Posted 22 Mar 8:30 pm by Basem L. Ra'ad [professor emeritus at Al-Quds University]
_________________________________________________

Jonathan Marks makes an excellent point:

The anti-Semitic tropes in these statements are not subtle. But even if they were, I wonder why the academic left, which is usually so attuned to the subtlety of racism and sexism, puts up such a high bar for anti-Semitism. Suddenly “But I said Zionist, not Jew”; or “I’m a Jew, so I can’t possibly be in league with haters of Jews”; or “Yes, I’m focusing on the Jewish state and no other state, but so what?”; or “Sure, I’m echoing standard anti-Semitic tropes, but they’re really applicable here” are incontrovertible arguments, and it becomes bad form to suggest that anti-Semitism is at work unless someone is screaming anti-Semitic slogans.

(h/t Yair Rosenberg via @Geuzen1)

Muslim Brotherhood leader forgets to say "Zionists" instead of "Jews"

Some Arabs keep forgetting the famous virtual memo of 1968: "From now on, don't say you are against Jews, but use the word 'Zionists' instead."

Arab leaders have tried to keep this edict in mind, allowing us to see a shift in rhetoric from Jews owning the banks and media to saying that "Zionists" do.

But old habits die hard.

Mohammed Badie, General Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood, made an address to the court on May 18, 2014, rejecting the accusations brought against him and other members of the movement. In footage from the trial posted on the Internet, Badie says: "We have fought only against the Jews... yet now we are being accused of conspiring with Hamas against the Egyptian people. This is an absolute lie."

Following are excerpts:

[...]

We have fought only against the Jews, and Kamel Al-Sharif may testify about the conduct of the Muslim Brotherhood in the [1948] war in Palestine. We fought against the Jews. The Israeli strategic research institute wrote in a report: "Our greatest enemies in the world are the Muslim Brotherhood." This is an honor for us, yet now we are being accused of conspiring with Hamas against the Egyptian people. This is an absolute lie.

05/21 Links Pt2: Chloe Valdary: Brandeis Unbecoming Defending Hirsi Ali; Bibi Meets Leno

From Ian:

Chloe Valdary Blasts Brandeis University's 'Lack of' Moral Leadership

In a new video from Americans for Peace and Tolerance, human rights activist Chloe Valdary blasts the Brandeis University administration for its April decision to revoke the offer of an honorary degree to women's rights activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali. In the video, titled "Brandeis Unbecoming," Valdary asks, "who will speak for the thousands of women oppressed and abused everyday?" She then highlights various victims of honor killings and abuse done in the name of radical Islam.
Brandeis University revoked the honorary degree from Hirsi Ali after a student petition, a faculty petition and considerable noise from outside organizations and leaders. Highlighted in the video is a portion of the faculty petition which reads, "We cannot accept Ms. Hirsi Ali's triumphalist narrative of western civilization, rooted in a core belief of the cultural backwardness of non-western peoples."

Brandeis Unbecoming: A New Video Defending Hirsi Ali, by Chloe Valdary

Richard Kemp: Britain, Lawfare and the ICC

Today the United Kingdom sits alongside Libya, Darfur and Sudan as the International Criminal Court [ICC] launches an investigation into alleged war crimes by the British Army in Iraq.
This perversion brings to mind German Pastor Martin Niemoeller's powerful words at the end of the Second World War:
"Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out— because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me— and there was no one left to speak for me."
It was not long before they came again for the Jews – this time in the newly established Jewish state. And over the years, Israel's enemies, unable to destroy her in battle, have used "lawfare" – the abuse of Western laws and judicial systems – to try to undermine and delegitimize her.
A leading player in this unremitting assault has been the UN Human Rights Council [UNHRC], which has passed resolution after spurious resolution against Israel while ignoring horrific human rights abuses around the world. The fundamentally flawed Goldstone Report, which concluded that Israel had been guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity during the IDF's defensive operation in Gaza in 2008-09, is an example of the UNHRC's distortions of reality.

Israeli Arabs increasingly identify with Israel

From JPost:

The percentage of Israeli Arabs who recognize Israel’s right to continue to exist as a Jewish and democratic state rose in 2013, according to a study by Prof. Sammy Smooha of the University of Haifa.

More Israeli Arabs identify themselves as such, instead of as Palestinian, found the study, which was a product of a joint venture between the university and the Israel Democracy Institute.

The report stated that, contrary to popular belief, Jews’ opinions about Israeli Arabs are not undergoing radicalization but demonstrate long-term stability.

While over the past 10 years, Israeli Arabs have become more extreme in their views toward the state and its Jewish majority, the results of the study in 2013 show a change in trend. For example, 53 percent of Israeli Arabs recognize Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, compared to 47 percent in 2012.

Sixty-four percent in 2013 think that Israel is a good place to live, compared to 59 percent a year ago.

A major shift was found this year in the number of Arabs – 43 percent – who favor their Israeli-Arab identity over a Palestinian one. This compared to 33 percent in last year’s study.

This completely contradicts the conventional wisdom, which isn't surprising since the conventional wisdom is often created by people with an agenda.

Previous years' studies are online, but at the moment it doesn't look like the full report has been published on the web.

More from the humor site PreOccupied Territory:

Washington, DC, May 19 - President Obama hit back at critics of his policy on the Syrian civil war today, insisting that he never committed to getting the US directly involved in the conflict even if Basher Assad's forces crossed the "red line" of using chemical weapons, as nowhere in his statements on the conflict did he invoke the no-turning-back phrase "Simon says."

Despite repeated violations of international law by forces loyal to the Syrian president, the international community, especially the US, has been reluctant to commit militarily to the rebels, a significant number of whom are jihadist groups that could threaten American interests. Foreseeing such complications, Obama specifically avoided uttering "Simon says" when addressing Assad, knowing that refraining from the invocation of Simon would leave him with the political and diplomatic wiggle room to opt for letting Assad continue to slaughter his people unimpeded.

Deaths from the Syrian civil war now number more than 160,000, and the number of refugees now exceeds three million. Neighboring countries find their resources strained in handling the exodus, and the United Nations refugee agency lacks the funds and material to tend to the influx properly. Rebels and refugee representatives were incensed that the American president avoided providing serious military aid, but upon hearing his explanation that he never actually mouthed the words "Simon says" in directing Assad to stop committing atrocities, they conceded that Assad could not be expected to comply.

"We get it," said Ahmad Fatuh, a father of six at a refugee camp in Jordan. "I understand now, and it's OK. I thought maybe the deaths of four of my children could serve as poignant markers in the struggle for liberation from a tyrant, but Obama never actually said the magic words. That means there's no ethical bond obligating the US to act to protect the victims. We're cool with that."

In a related development, the United Nation Security Council opened a session on the Syrian conflict. The session began with US Ambassador Susan Rice and British Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant trying to be the first to call, "Not It!"

05/21 Links Pt1: Letting go of Abbas; Oslo Cost 933Bil Shekels; In Iran, You Can’t Be ‘Happy’

From Ian:

Caroline Glick: Letting go of Abbas

The time has come for Israel to show Abbas the door. It would be best if we can do it quietly – offering him the opportunity to relocate to somewhere warm and retain all the loot he and his cronies have siphoned off for their personal use.
Once Abbas is gone, Israel will have to choose between applying its laws to parts of Judea and Samaria and offering the Palestinians outside those areas a limited form of autonomy, or applying its laws to the entire region, conferring permanent residency status on the Palestinians and offering them the right to apply for Israeli citizenship.
Alarmists argue that without Abbas, Israel will go broke having to finance the Palestinian budget. But this is ridiculous.
Once you subtract the hundreds of millions of dollars that go missing every year, and you take into account that Israel managed to govern the areas for 24 years, you realize that this is just one more empty threat – like the demographic threat – made by people who have no political existence without the façade of a peace process.
Abbas is not an asset. He is a liability. It is time to move past him. (h/t Bob Knot)

The Price of Oslo – 933 Billion Shekels and Counting

The failed attempt at regional peacemaking known as the Oslo Process has cost the state of Israel over 900 billion shekels – more than $250 billion – since 1993, and the costs keeps rising, according to a study by the Likud party's Jewish Leadership faction, which is headed by MK Moshe Feiglin (Likud-Beytenu).
By comparison, the total state budget for 2014 has been set at about 400 billion shekels, or about $115 billion.
The numbers came as a shock to the researchers, who recently gave a much lower estimate of the total financial costs of the botched endeavor.

White House Puts New Lipstick on Old Pig a/k/a Unity Government

An anonymous senior White House official allegedly told the left-wing Israeli newspaper Haaretz that the U.S. would cooperated with a Palestinian Unity Government, despite the participation of the terrorist group Hamas.
The way the Unity Government is being promoted, it will be run by “technocrats” and not by representatives of Hamas or Fatah. How anyone appointed by the two parties will not be members of those two parties is difficult to understand, but that is the confection being promoted by those involved, and it is eagerly being ingested by the Americans and others – including 28 European Union foreign ministers – interested in moving forward “peace talks” which also have little grounding in reality.
The Unity Government is allegedly going to be put in place next week.

At a Knesset debate over incitement and violence against Christian recruits for the IDF today, member of Knesset Basel Ghattas insulted and threatened the priest who leads that movement.

Ghattas, a Christian MK of the Balad party, became incensed when Father Gabriel Nadaf arrived to testify. He had to be physically restrained as he hurled insults and threats, saying that Nadaf was a "traitor scum" and a Shabak agent.

Let that sink in: An Arab member of Israel's Knesset is threatening a priest who advocated Christians join the country's army. If joining the army is treasonous to the Arab cause, then what is joining the Knesset? Beyond that, it is beyond belief that the Knesset can tolerate such behavior and attitudes.

Father Nadaf said that Ghattas' words were tantamount to a threat on his life, saying "We all know how Arabs treat traitors. And we know what happened to Yitzchak Rabin when he was branded a traitor."

Christians at the hearing testified about the threats that they have received, Father Nadaf was threatened to be skinned and a "WANTED" poster was circulated offering hundreds of thousands of dollars to kill Nadaf and other Arab Christian Zionists.

Knesset members said that not enough was being done to protect the Christians who support their nation's army, and also that Father Nadaf's protection should be increased as well.

(h/t Yoel)

US might turn a blind eye to Hamas in PA as Hamas says it strengthens "resistance"

Haaretz reported on Monday:

Despite Israel’s position, the U.S. administration is tending toward cooperating with the soon-to-be-formed Palestinian unity government, even if Hamas as an organization does not accept the conditions of the Mideast Quartet to recognize Israel, honor previous agreements and abandon violence.

A senior White House official told Haaretz that as long as the platform of the future government meets the conditions of the Quartet - the United Nations, the United States, the European Union and Russia - the U.S. will be satisfied.

“We want a Palestinian government that upholds those principles,” said the White House official. “In terms of how they build this government, we are not able to orchestrate that for the Palestinians. We are not going to be able to engineer every member of this government.”

On Tuesday, Hamas political leader Khaled Meshal gave a speech in Doha, where he said that national unity "is not a substitute for resistance but it meant to strengthen it."

It is clear that the impending unity government will put on one face to the West and another one to Palestinian Arabs.

As long as the West and the Quartet want to believe the lies, they will.