Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Friday, May 13, 2016

Most West Bank Palestinians want a confederation with Jordan

From a new poll by An Najah University in Nablus:

Do you support or reject the creation of a confederation with Jordan on the basis of two independent states with strong institutional relations?

	Total	West Bank	Gaza Strip
I support	42.3	52.6	24.4
I reject	39.3	39.9	38.4
No opinion/I do not know	18.4	7.5	37.2
Total	100.0	100.0	100.0

Yes, it says "two independent states" but it sure seems like this might be a possible direction for peace one day down the line.

The poll is also notable for what it didn't ask:

Do you support or reject the creation of a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders as a final solution for the Palestinian cause?

	Total	West Bank	Gaza Strip
Yes	43.7	44.8	41.8
No	51.6	52.0	50.8
No opinion/I do not know	4.7	3.1	7.4
Total	100.0	100.0	100.0

Do you support or reject the creation of a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with some land exchange as a final solution for the Palestinian cause?

	Total	West Bank	Gaza Strip
Yes	23.1	27.1	16.2
No	72.3	68.4	79.2
No opinion/I do not know	4.5	4.5	4.6
Total	100.0	100.0	100.0

Do you support or reject the creation of a binational state for both Arabs and Jews as a final solution for the Palestinian cause?

	Total	West Bank	Gaza Strip
Yes	19.5	23.3	13.0
No	76.2	73.7	80.6
No opinion/I do not know	4.3	3.0	6.4
Total	100.0	100.0	100.0

If they would have asked "Do you support or reject the creation of a Palestinian state from the river to the sea as a final solution for the Palestinian cause?" the numbers would have been much higher.

These questions were also instructive:

Do think that some of the measures that the Palestinian security apparatuses execute have reduced the attacks against Israeli targets?

	Total	West Bank	Gaza Strip
Yes	57.6	59.1	55.0
No	31.0	32.3	28.6
No opinion/I do not know	11.4	8.6	16.4
Total	100.0	100.0	100.0

Do you support or reject the measures that the Palestinian security apparatuses impose to curb the operations of the Palestinian youth against Israeli targets?

	Total	West Bank	Gaza Strip
I support	28.9	37.7	13.8
I reject	62.7	55.4	75.2
No opinion/I do not know	8.4	7.0	11.0
Total	100.0	100.0	100.0

They agree that the PA has helped clamp down on terror against Jews - and they don't like it. This is despite the fact that this poll showed a slight preference for an non-armed intifada than one that is armed.

(h/t L. King)

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05/13 Links Pt1: Palestinian Leaders and Child Sacrifice; Five mendacious myths make one false narrative

From Ian:

Khaled Abu Toameh: Palestinian Leaders and Child Sacrifice

The tragic death of three Palestinian siblings, killed in a fire that destroyed their house in the Gaza Strip on May 6, demonstrates yet again the depth to which Palestinian leaders will go to exploit their children for political purposes and narrow interests.
The three children from the Abu Hindi family -- Mohamed, 3 years old, his brother Nasser, 2 years old and their two-month infant sister Rahaf, died in a fire caused by candles that were being used due to the recurring power outages in the Gaza Strip.
The electricity crisis in the Gaza Strip is the direct result of the continued power struggle between the two Palestinian rival forces, Hamas and the Palestinian Authority (PA).
In recent months, the crisis has deepened, leaving large parts of the Gaza Strip without electricity for most of the day. Hamas blames the Palestinian Authority for the crisis because of its failure to cover the costs of the fuel needed to operate the power plants in the Gaza Strip. The PA has retorted by blaming Hamas's "corruption" and "incompetence."
The Abu Hindi family resides in the Shati refugee camp, where Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and other leaders of the Islamist movement live. But unlike the senior Hamas leaders, the Abu Hindi family could not afford to purchase their own power generator to supply them with electricity during the power outages. Instead, the tragedy-stricken family, like most families in the Gaza Strip, resorted to the cheapest alternative lighting method -- candles.
On that horrific evening, the Abu Hindi's three children went to sleep while the candles were burning. Hours later, the charred bodies of the three siblings were taken from the house while it was still on fire and engulfed with smoke.
In any other country, this incident would have been reported as a routine tragedy -- one of the kind that could happen in any city such as New York, London or Paris.
Here, however, the death of the three children is not just another personal tragedy. This was a case, rather, of child sacrifice: the Abu-Hindi children were sacrificed on the altar of the decade-long war being waged between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas. And these children are far from the first or last such victims.

Caroline Glick: The fruits of subversion

From the perspective of democratic norms, the worst part of Dagan’s subversion is that he was proud of it.
By insisting his final interview be broadcast posthumously, Dagan showed that he wanted his subversion of the government to be his legacy. Dagan’s final act was to tell his countrymen that it is legitimate to place themselves above the law and above the lawful government and take independent actions that will obligate the entire country.
Ironically, there is no substantive difference between Dagan’s actions – or the generals’– and the actions of the so-called Hilltop Youth in Samaria whom the generals continuously condemn as the greatest threat to Israel.
Like the generals, right-wing extremist teenage outlaws reject the authority of the government. Like the generals, denizens of “the state of Judea” believe that they know how to advance Israel’s national security better than our elected officials.
True, the damage the generals cause the country by revealing state secrets to foreign governments and libeling the nation of Israel as Nazis is several orders of magnitude greater than the damage wrought by fanatical teenagers who vandalize Arab property. Indeed it is far greater than alleged acts of murder that a handful of Hilltop Youth stand accused of committing.
And by acting lawlessly and showing bottomless contempt for our elected officials, Dagan, Golan and their comrades tell the Hilltop Youth and the rest of us that the law is what they say it is.
Sixty-eight years ago, after declaring Israel’s independence, David Ben-Gurion set about dismantling the underground militias to ensure the survival of the state as a coherent political unit.
Sixty-eight years later, it works out there are still competing gangs trying to obligate the rest of us with their unlawful, anti-democratic and immoral behavior. If Israel is to survive for the next 68 years, we need to act firmly and forthrightly to end this state of affairs.

Martin Sherman: Five mendacious myths make one false narrative

Given the lies and distortions of Palestinian claims, what seems more credible: An offer to buy the Brooklyn Bridge or the Palestinian narrative?
Even a cursory analysis of historical events in this region will reveal that, in the case of Palestinians-Arabs, neither of these constituent elements exists: Not an identifiably differentiated people, desiring exercise of political sovereignty; nor a defined territory in which that sovereignty is to be exercised.
One need only examine the declarations and documents of Palestinians themselves to verify this, and discover that they have never really conceived of themselves as a discernibly discrete people with a defined homeland.
Accordingly, little effort is required to demonstrate that the Palestinian “narrative” – the ideo-intellectual fuel driving the demands for statehood – is nothing more than a motley mixture of multiple myths, easily identifiable and readily refutable. The inescapable conclusion is – or should be – that the entire edifice of Palestinian national aspirations is a giant political hoax, a massive sleight of political hand to serve a more sinister – and thinly disguised – ulterior motive.
What are the five constituent myths that comprise the noxious concoction of the Palestinian narrative?

Prof. Eugene Kontorovich at the House Committee on the Judiciary May 2016
examined how the Executive improperly ignored legislation pursuant to the Foreign Commerce Clause in implementing the Iran nuclear deal, also the funding of UN organizations.

UN FAO office curses at woman who complains about their antisemitic "goodwill ambassador"

An EoZ reader sent this email to the Washington DC office of the UN's FAO:

Hello:

I understand FAO has appointed Majida El Roumi as a Goodwill Ambassador. Is this correct? What type of vetting, if any, is done for candidate Goodwill Ambassadors?

I understand further that Majida El Roumi has publicly endorsed the Protocols of the Elders of Zion and stated that Zionists are responsible for the terrorist attacks in Paris and Brussels.

If FAO was not previously aware of Majida El Roumi's publicly expressed antisemitism, I submit that you now have notice thereof. Media clips of El Roumi's hate speech are archived and summarized here: http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2016/05/un-fao-goodwill-ambassador-lebanese.html.

I call for Majida El Roumi to be removed from her position as Goodwill Ambassador immediately. Will she be removed from this position, and will you take the bold step to condemn her blatant antisemitism?

Thank you,

She called the same office later in the day. What happened next is explained in her email to one of the employees in that office:

Dear Genevie:

Thank you for speaking with me earlier. As I mentioned, I called the main line this afternoon and said that I would like to speak to someone re: the Goodwill Ambassador. The representative who answered said that she received my e-mail. I had not given her my name when I called, so it was unclear to me why your representative asserted that she received "my e-mail." I asked if she knew who I was, and she said "I do not give a shit who you are." She put me on hold and when I asked for her name, she hung up on me. Obviously this conduct is not appropriate for any public servant, much less those in the role of liaison.

I expect this individual to be reprimanded and I look forward to an earnest reply from UN FAO on the substantive issue below.

Best regards,

The FAO contact replied:

I am unsure who you spoke with but I’ve informed all staff that they are required to conduct themselves as proper International Civil Servants and to address telephone queries with utmost respect.

As for the protocol relating to UN Goodwill Ambassadors and their selection, the entire procedure and vetting process are undertaken by FAO headquarters (Rome, Italy). They reached at the following email address : GoodwillAmbassadors@fao.org.

My apologies for the delayed response.

Sincerely,

Genevie

The working day at FAO headquarters in Italy is now over, and there has been no response to my inquiry about their support of an antisemite.

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UNRWA keeps pushing Pallywood

This is the pinned photo that has been on the top of the Twitter feed of Raquel Marti, UNRWA's executive director in Spain, for months. She captioned it "Bath time in Gaza:"

The original photo was taken by Emad Nassar, with this description:

June 26, 2015 . Salem Saoody, 30, is getting his daughter Layan (L) and his niece Shaymaa 5 (R) in the only remaining piece from their damaged house, which is the bathing tub. They now live in a caravan near the rubble.

One minor question: Where did the water come from?

There is no rain in Gaza in June. The house does not appear to have running water. There is no hose visible in the picture.

What are the chances that Salem Saoody takes his daughters out of their mobile home and they carry over 100 liters of clean water with them to their former home to take a bath?

Emad Nassar saw the chance for a dramatic photo, so he staged it to win awards. And the girls were happy to play in a mini-pool on a summer day. So, it appears, Nassar and Saoody spent a morning carrying water to the old bathtub for the perfect photo.

The idea that the Saoodys are forced to give their girls a bath in their old bathtub does not pass any sanity test.

Last June, when this photo was taken, I noted that Hamas had turned the Shujaiyeh neighborhood into a showpiece to bring foreign reporters to show Israel's evil - even though thousands of Gaza homes were being repaired, Hamas left Shujaiyeh untouched. There were a series of such obviously staged photos published by Hamas-leaning and duped photojournalists. And while the terror group kept the neighborhood as a zoo for gaping Westerners, it was building tunnels underneath the very same area.

UNRWA has something in common with Hamas. Both groups wanted to keep families in Shujaiyeh homeless, and the rubble uncleared, for as long as possible so they could maximize its propaganda value and get more funds from credulous Westerners. UNRWA actually made an entire film of such staged scenes in the neighborhood last year,

Of course, if you want to paint Gazans as eternal victims and implicitly blame Israel at every opportunity, this staged photo and inaccurate caption is perfect for you - and perfect for UNRWA and its lackeys. UNRWA created an entire film of such staged scenes in this neighborhood and told kids there to act in ludicrous scenes such as creating a makeshift see-saw in the middle of rubble.

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Early this morning, Hezbollah's top commander in Syria, Mustafa Badreddine, was announced to have been killed in a large blast at a military installation near Damascus airport.

Early reports blamed Israel, but it is not that clear who was behind the assassination.

Hezbollah's statement described Badreddine as the ultimate jihadist:

In The Name of Allah, The Most Beneficent, The Most Merciful

"Of the believers are men who are true to that which they covenanted with Allah. Some of them have paid their vow by death (in battle), and some of them still are waiting; and they have not altered in the least" (Al-Ahzab, 23)

A few months earlier he said: "I won't come back from Syria unless as a martyr or a carrier of the banner of victory."

He is the great Jihadi leader, Hajj Mustafa Badriddine (Sayyed Zulfiqar), who came back today wrapped with the banner of victory which he established through his bitter fight against the Takfiri groups in Syria.

Following a life full of Jihad, captivity, wounds and great qualitative achievements , Sayyed Zulfiqar concluded his life with martyrdom.

But their next sentence indicates that Hezbollah is a very liberal social justice group.

He joined the convoy of martyrs, one of whom was his beloved and life-long companion, martyred leader Hajj Imad Moughniyeh.

I didn't know that Hezbollah was so tolerant!

What a romantic story, to see how this loving couple Badreddine and Mughniyeh have finally reunited to spend their afterlife together again. They can keep each other very warm.

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05/12 Links Pt2: Haaretz columnist calls for a military coup in Israel; UNHRC resolution an 'assault on Israel'

From Ian:

Haaretz senior columnist implicitly calls for a military coup in Israel

Israeli radical left Haaretz daily published on Wednesday, May 11, 2016 an article implicitly calling on the army officers to carry out a military coup in order to save the democracy.
The article was penned by Tzvi Barel, columnist, commentator for Middle Eastern affairs and a board member of Haaretz owned by Amos Schocken. Aluf Benn is the Editor-in-Chief of Haaretz.
Barel said that the military brass will have to determine what is the ultimate threat to the security and existence of Israel: “thousands of missiles and Palestinian stabbers or a government engineering the public to make them become a monster threatening to prey on the basic values of the Israeli democracy.”
According to Barel, Israel is not immune of a military coup and perhaps such a coup has already started. “The army will not be the instigator of a revolt if it happens. By pushing today the army into a spot in which it has to defend itself and its values, the political leadership is the one which will bring about the first Jewish military revolution,” Barel wrote.
Barel added that army does not have to conquer the Knesset (Parliament), the Prime Minister offices and the TV stations in order to carry out the military coup, because it enjoys the support of the Israeli people. (h/t Yenta Press)

Calling Israel an apartheid state is an insult to black South Africans (OPINION)

I am from Zimbabwe and grew up under the strictest regime of apartheid in South Africa. Today, I am an author and law student at University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. I am an avid debater, ranked fourth globally and first in Africa in the World Universities Public Speaking Championship.
I have read the recent guest column in The Oregonian written by Alice Rothchild.
I understand that the Methodist and, later, the Presbyterian Church USA are considering proposals to boycott and divest from Israel.
I believe the Christian faith and the state of Israel are irrevocably intertwined. This is because the Christian faith flows naturally from the Judaic faith.
There are some who would seek to have the Christian churches distance themselves from the state of Israel. There is a call for the churches to join the boycott divestment sanctions (BDS) movement. It would be a big victory, indeed, for the Palestinians to convince some of the biggest allies of the state of Israel to remove their support.
This call is based on the claim that Israel is an apartheid state and, secondly, that negotiations have not been successful as a strategy for peace. These two premises are both incorrect. Allow me to elaborate.
Like Ms. Rothchild, I used to support the BDS movement, but I withdrew my support after I visited Israel and Palestine (the West Bank).

New Statesman: How 'the longest hatred' took root

Succinct analysis of the roots of antisemitism by Brendan Sims and Charlie Laderman, all the more remarkable for appearing the left-leaning New Statesman. Here is the extract from The Longest Hatred about anti-Semitism in the Middle East (with thanks: Lily):
5. Anti-Semitism and the left
As the heir of the Enlightenment and ideals of the French Revolution, the European left championed emancipation, equality and tolerance in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Thus, it was regarded favourably by Jews. And yet hostility to Jews animated the world-view of some pioneering socialists. For instance, the late-18th- and early-19th-century utopian socialist Charles Fourier regarded Jews as “parasites, merchants, usurers”. They were agents of capitalism and commerce, personified most powerfully by the Rothschilds. Karl Marx, even though he was of Jewish descent, claimed that Jews had made money the “God of the world” and called for humanity to be emancipated from Judaism. It was these manifestations of anti-Judaism that led the German Social Democrat August Bebel to refer to anti-Semitism as the “socialism of fools”.
That Jewish leftists were heavily represented in the leadership of the socialist and communist movement, from Trotsky down, led right-wing racists to equate Judaism with Bolshevism. At first, the Soviet Union embraced this association. In 1931 Stalin declared that anti-Semitism was “the most dangerous vestige of cannibalism” and that “under USSR law . . . active anti-Semites are liable to the death penalty”. The USSR was the first state to grant de jure recognition to Israel, and supported it with arms during the 1948 conflict. However, it turned sharply against Israel and global Jewry from the 1950s onwards.
In the early 1950s, Stalin launched a major anti-Jewish campaign that culminated in the arrest of Jewish doctors accused of poisoning Communist leaders. In 1952, he told the Politburo: “Every Jewish nationalist is the agent of the American intelligence service.” America was the USSR’s principal enemy in the Cold War and its sizeable Jewish community was believed to be at the centre of a worldwide network that was doing the bidding of the new Israeli state, and which had operatives across the globe, including the USSR and communist-controlled eastern Europe.
This anti-Semitic, anti-Zionist campaign was taken up throughout the communist world. Its anti-Jewish nature was clear in the show trials of Jews and their removal from critical positions in local Communist Parties, accompanied by a barrage of openly anti-Semitic propaganda. The most notorious instance of this was the 1952 Slansky trial in Czechoslovakia, during which the state denounced the defendants, not all of whom were Jewish, as “Zionists”, “Jewish capitalists” and “Jewish Gestapo agents”.