Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Wednesday, September 07, 2016

09/07 Links Pt2: Elder of Ziyon interviewed at Jewish Press; Mamet on movies

From Ian:

Fighting Israel’s Battle Online An Interview with Influential Blogger: ‘Elder of Ziyon’

On March 1, “Elder of Ziyon” – the anonymous author behind www.ElderofZiyon.blogspot.com – posted a map from a McGraw Hill college textbook purporting to show “Palestinian loss of land 1946 to 2000.” Considering that Jews were often called “Palestinians” before 1948, and that Palestinian Arabs – as a “nation” – never owned any territory until Israel carved out autonomous regions for them in 1993, the map was highly misleading.
Elder of Ziyon demanded that McGraw Hill “be held accountable for pushing such propaganda in college classrooms” and called on his readers to e-mail the publisher. Remarkably, within a week, McGraw Hill had removed the book from circulation and promised to destroy all remaining copies.
It is victories like these, and many smaller ones, that motivate Elder of Ziyon – the name is “meant to be ironic,” he says – to continue blogging daily, as he has for over 12 years.
The Jewish Press: Why do you blog under an alias?
Elder of Ziyon: I’m not worried about death threats or anything like that. The main reason is professional. I work in a high-tech industry and it doesn’t help my career potential to use my real name. For any future jobs, people would see my name and think I’m not doing any work – that I blog all day.

Mamet on movies

David Mamet does not answer questions directly.
A linear Q&A would be too boring for the actor, director and playwright, who enjoys and revels in the art of storytelling.
Ask him a question about casting, and he launches into a joke about St. Peter at the pearly gates. Ask him the best way to direct a movie and he explains that the art of film is essentially a long con game with the audience, where deception is key.
But ask him about the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, and he’s surprisingly frank. “It’s an obscenity. The BDS movement is an absolute obscenity,” the Pulitzer prize winning writer and director lamented in a discussion at the Jerusalem Ma’aleh school of television, film and arts last week.
“It’s just another example of anti-Semitism, and in America it’s been accepted. The Jewish contribution is great and vast, but nobody likes us. Young kids would ask ‘why?’ and I’d say, ‘you don’t have to answer that.
That’s not your problem,’” he said bluntly.
Mamet lays the majority of the blame for the movement’s popularity on liberal Reform Jews in the US who he says have lost sight of the religion and focus too much on mitzvot or good deeds.
“The BDS movement is an outgrowth of a pseudo- religious consciousness. A liberal, Western Jewish consciousness divorced from religion,” he explained.

Amb. Danny Danon: Taking the Fight Against Anti-Semitism to the United Nations

For all of its good intentions, the United Nations is an institution full of contradictions.
The organization’s founding charter in 1945 stated it would hope to “achieve international co-operation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian character and in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion.”
Yet all too often, the UN has been manipulated by dictators and despots who place little importance on these values.
At a special gathering Wednesday, “The High Level Forum on Global anti-Semitism,” Israel, the United States, Canada and the nations of the European Union will come to together and work toward a true fulfillment of the UN’s vision. Some of the world’s leading academics, diplomats and experts from the private sector will conduct an honest assessment of the current damage inflicted on humanity by anti-Semitism and plan concrete steps the international community can take to minimize, and eventually eliminate, this particular form of hate.
The United Nations wasn’t founded in a vacuum. It was established after the horrors of World War II and the terrible tragedy of the Holocaust. Despite the raison d’etre for its existence, until 2005 the United Nations didn’t officially mark a Holocaust remembrance day, nor did it seek to educate its member-states about it.
The institution hasn’t been immune to anti-Semitism. All too often Israel has been singled out, boycotted and treated differently for no reason other than it is the world’s only Jewish state. Israel has been accused of being modern-day Nazis by some at the UN, and at its depth of hypocrisy, the world’s nations passed a resolution in the General Assembly in 1975 equating the national movement of the Jewish people, Zionism, with racism.

While Netanyahu is protested in the Netherlands, a Hamas leader freely accesses Parliament

There was an uproar earlier today when Prime Minister Netanyahu visited the parliament in the Netherlands and one of the MPs refused to shake his hand.

Many people protested Netanyahu's visit because, you know, he is just so immoral.

One of the protesters is Amin Abu Rashid, who put this video on his Facebook page specifically to protest Netanyahu's visit:

Rashid is a major Hamas figure in the Netherlands.

And as this video shows, he has full access to the parliament, with no protests.

1. Zo makkelijk loopt kopstuk #Hamas parlement in en uit.
2. Cie BuZa ontvangt commandant Supermarkt Inspectieteams. pic.twitter.com/7Hcwycbv5r
— Prof. D.A.H. Vintik (@Prof_DAH_Vintik) September 7, 2016

He posts antisemitic cartoons.

Yet he can walk into the parliament without anyone batting an eye.

The Dutch are in serious trouble.

(h/t Mark)

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BBC Looking For More Negative Angle On Israel's Treatment Of Wounded Syrians (PreOccupied Territory)

Our weekly column from the humor site PreOccupied Territory.

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Safed, September 7 - The British Broadcasting Corporation is holding off on production of a segment on injured Syrian civilians receiving medical treatment in Israeli hospitals until a sufficiently dark portrayal of the policy can be worked into the broadcast.

Thousands of Syrians have been spirited across the Syrian frontier with the Golan Heights to institutions such as Rambam Hospital in Haifa and Sieff Hospital here in Safed, in clandestine coordination between the Israeli military and various Syrian groups fighting the Assad regime. Pro-Assad media and institutions refer in blanket terms to the patients in Israel as terrorists, but BBC editors are looking for an angle that preserves the wounded Syrians' innocent humanity while highlighting Israel's cynical exploitation of the situation.

"It has to be just credible enough - we do have some journalistic standards," explained Ann T. Semitt of the Jerusalem bureau. "It doesn't fly anymore with much of our audience to explicitly parrot the propaganda of a genocidal dictator such as Assad, so we have to find a different approach to smearing Israel in an article about something good Israel is otherwise doing. "

Semitt said the bureau and BBC headquarters in London had held extensive discussions of options for framing the Israeli medical treatment in negative terms, but had yet to hit on a compelling formula. "We couldn't find a convincing way to shoehorn mention of Palestinian suffering into the clip without it seeming contrived, and the best we've come up with so far is overstating the plight of Druze residents of the Golan Heights, and emphasizing that Israel's annexation of the area has never been internationally recognized. But that doesn't spark the emotion the way, for example, charges of organ-harvesting might. We're still basically at the drawing-board stage."

Other possible angles included a focus on mishaps that may have taken place during the course of the treatment, or the not-so-veiled implication that the Syrian patients were brought to Israel against their will. However, specifics on the Syrian cases were difficult to obtain, and it soon became clear that every Syrian patient was brought at his or her own request, or that of family. Semitt, however, expressed confidence that the BBC would soon arrive at the right anti-Israel formulation, at which point the video segment could be produced.

"We always get there in the end," she promised. "As some historical figure once said, 'If you will it, it is no dream.'"

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09/07 Links Pt1: Posthumous medal for IDF soldier who fought stabbers ‘barehanded’; Hamas TV Glorifies Murder Of Rabbi

From Ian:

Amb. Alan Baker: Israel’s Rights in the Territories under International Law

Israel Is Not an “Occupier”
International law defines “occupation” as one power occupying the lands of a foreign sovereign. In Israel’s case, Israel is not occupying any foreign sovereign’s land; Israel entered the area known as the West Bank in 1967 and took over the authority to administer the land from Jordan, which was never considered to be a sovereign in the area.
“Palestinian Territories” Is Not a Legal Term
The international community’s constant referral to the “Palestinian territories” is a complete fallacy and has absolutely no legal or political basis. There has never been a Palestinian state, as such, and therefore the territories never belonged to any Palestinian entity. There’s no international agreement, there’s no contract, there’s no treaty, and there’s no binding international resolution that determines that the territories belong to the Palestinians.
In actual fact, even the Palestinians themselves, in the Oslo agreement that they signed with Israel, acknowledge the fact that the ultimate permanent status of the territory is to be determined by negotiations. Therefore, even the Palestinians accept the fact that this is not Palestinian territory, its disputed territory whose status is yet to be settled.
The Settlements Are Not Illegitimate
There’s one other point, the issue of settlements is a negotiating issue. The Palestinians have agreed with the Israelis that the issue of settlements is one of the issues on the permanent status negotiating table. Therefore, anybody who comes along and claims that Israel’s settlements are illegitimate – whether it’s the EU, whether it’s individual governments, whether it is the secretary of state of the United States, who said so specifically, or the spokesman of the State Department – they’re prejudging a negotiating issue, which is clearly incompatible with any negotiating principle.
There’s No Such Thing as 1967 Borders
There’s no such thing as 1967 borders. A border is a line between two sovereign entities. In 1967, there was a ceasefire line that had existed since the 1948-1949 war between the Arab states and Israel and after Israel declared its independence. The Jordanians insisted on inserting in the Armistice Agreement of 1949 a provision which says that the armistice demarcation line is not the final border. Final borders can only be determined in peace negotiations between the parties. So “1967 borders” is a non-existent term and anybody using this term – again, including the U.S. administration and the EU – are simply being misled.

Elliott Abrams: Obama: See No Evil, See No Enemies

What has been the American response? What has the White House decided? To do nothing, and to tell the Navy to bob and weave and duck. The administration remains committed to its nuclear deal above all, and is willing to allow these dangerous and humiliating maneuvers against the Navy without reply. It is engaged in covering up Iran’s violations of the nuclear deal, denying them, and allowing secret exemptions. Meanwhile Iran increases its presence and activity in Iraq and Syria and uses the nuclear deal to build its economy.
It would be easy to show the Cuban regime, and the Cuban people, that we care more about freedom than Jet Blue; all that was required was a visit to Guillermo Farinas. Still, the administration won’t do it, refusing to undermine its message that Cuba is changing and is our new friend. It is not so easy to show the world that we are not cowed by Iran and that our Navy will not be abused by the Iranian Navy; that will actually require sinking an Iranian vessel. But here again, the administration will not undermine its message that the nuclear deal will bring peace and moderation.
So it will be up to our next president to distinguish between friends and enemies. If he or she wants to send the world a message that the Obama era is over and America is back, visits to Cuban dissidents like Farinas and one sinking of an Iranian ship that is illegally and dangerously harassing a U.S. Navy vessel would be the best and likely the cheapest ways to do so.

Will Obama roll the dice on the Middle East one more time?

Barack Obama took office in 2009 with two big personal priorities in foreign policy: the limitation of nuclear weapons and the cause of Palestinian statehood. This summer the president has been weighing a flurry of possible last-minute actions to cement his legacy on nukes, including a U.N. resolution that would ban testing. That raises an obvious question: Will Obama also launch an 11th-hour Mideast gambit?
The possibility has been debated in and outside the White House ever since Secretary of State John F. Kerry’s quixotic effort to broker an Israeli-Palestinian deal collapsed in 2014. All along, the assumption has been that Obama might wait to act until after the presidential election, so as to avoid creating problems for Hillary Clinton. There’s plenty of precedent: Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush all bid for a Middle East legacy during their final months.
Not surprisingly, the prospect of an Obama initiative — which could take the form of a speech, or at its most ambitious, a U.N. resolution — is producing “high anxiety in the Netanyahu world,” as one former administration official puts it. That would be Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu, the Israeli leader who has haunted and taunted Obama since he took office — and absorbed in return more White House animus and abuse than any other U.S. ally. In the end, Obama’s final decisions on the Middle East may be driven by another drama: the Barack and Bibi endgame.

Professor Radwan Amr, who is the director of manuscripts department at the Al Aqsa mosque, says that a group of "settler" held a formal wedding ceremony on the Temple Mount, guarded by police and special forces.

This story was reported as fact by the official Wafa News Agency of the Palestinian Authority.

Needless to say, the screaming "worshipers" at the site didn't manage to take any photos or video of this event.

Jewish visitors who were peacefully visiting the site were reported to be creating an "extremely tense atmosphere" with their "provocative incursions."

Since Wafa reported it, other Palestinian media followed suit.

Which means that Mondoweiss and Electronic Intifada may not be far behind.

It's funny, because they won't report the very obvious lies and accusations in Palestinian media, because it would make them look bad when they are debunked, but they happily report any accusations that they feel are true.

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B'Tselem Won't Call Hamas a Terrorist Organization (Judean Rose)

Varda Meyers Epstein's weekly column:

It's hard to understand why someone like Sarit Michaeli, the spokesperson for B'Tselem, the so-called human rights organization, continues to live in Israel, considering the fact that she sees Israel as an "occupier" of its Arab minority. I mean, if she thinks she's guilty of a crime, why doesn't she leave?

At the same time, it's even more difficult to understand why anyone gives her a platform to spew her nonsense. Still, Alan Mendoza of JTV acquitted himself well in his interview of Michaeli.

He at least tried to pin her down, to make her admit that, for instance, Hamas, the ruling power in Gaza, is a terrorist organization. He asks her once, twice, three times. But that comes later.

The interview begins with an overview of B'Tselem history and how the org has morphed from being all about the "occupation," all the time, to sometimes noticing that the other side isn't exactly playing fair. You know how it goes: gotta look balanced or no one takes you seriously. Especially since you got caught giving out cameras to people in Hebron to take that little film clip of Elor Azaria in which you MUTED THE SOUND.

Soon enough, thank God, Mendoza cuts off her blather:

Alan Mendoza: Okay, so the original goal was informational, and to bring to light human rights abuses. What's the goal today?

Sarit Michaeli: So I think over the years, the situation has changed on the ground and I think our understanding as well of the inflation of our role in the broader picture is also evolved.

(Take a deep breath. Not really, but this is going to be long.)

Sarit Michaeli: If in the past, it seemed like information is enough in order to spur Israelis on to action, to get them to oppose the Israeli occupation—which we do as the pure problem of human rights violations of Palestinians living under it—now of course we're much more nuanced I think in our understanding and we know that this isn't simply going to change purely by providing this information, but information and research is still, for the basic building block of our work but on top of that we do a lot of advocacy with Israel, with the international community, with the Israeli public, talking about the reality on the ground, talking about what it means, you know, we're actually only just a week following the 49th anniversary of the occupation, actually half a century, entering a 50th year of the occupation, and one of the key things for us is trying to explain the reality on the ground all Palestinians living under the occupation today. . .

(Someone, anyone, please write the McWhirter brothers. Surely that's a sentence worthy of a Guinness record?)

Alan Mendoza: I get you want to explain what's happening on the ground. Where do you want that to go to? What's your end point in this?

Sarit Michaeli: I mean, for us I think the key issue is that the Israeli occupation needs to end. B'Tselem doesn't say. . .

Alan Mendoza: Is that a two-state solution or a one-state solution?

Sarit Michaeli: B'Tselem doesn't provide a blueprint as to how to end the conflict. It's far beyond the limits of our mandate. Our mandate is to look at the current situation and to you know, influence Israelis and Palestinians to reach a decision on how to end the conflict between them and how to resolve it, you know, in whatever way that of course, appears to work for both sides, but also to force it to benchmarks, to human rights benchmarks.

Alan Mendoza: I understand that. You speak of human rights benchmarks. Of course it's important those are kept to. What about benchmarks on the Palestinian side? It doesn't appear you have any interest in Palestinian rights and we know, we've had many reports from Palestinian human rights activists about what happens under the Palestinian Authority. Torture, murder, things like that. Where's your comment on that?

Ooh. SNAP.

Sarit Michaeli: Well absolutely, so our website of course includes critique, not just theoretical critiques, but also information and data on the most egregious human rights violations under the Palestinian Authority but also under the Hamas regime in Gaza. We certainly view human rights as a universal issue and of course it would be completely absurd not to relate to these kinds of violations. What we try to also do is we work out what we would be effective in doing, so when it comes to the recent, for example, execution in Gaza by Hamas, to torture and various forms of denial of freedom of speech by the PA, of course we've made very clear statements about this. We've also made statements and we denounce in very categorical terms Palestinian attacks against Israeli civilians are not just a violation of the rights of the Palestinians by other Palestinians, but also a violation of Israelis by Palestinians.

Say what?

Sarit Michaeli: However, as it is really an Israeli organization, the bulk of our research and our work and our effort goes at self-criticism so looking at our own government, our own army. . .

Here it comes. The big question. First time:

Alan Mendoza: Let's look at one issue. Is Hamas a terrorist organization?

Sarit Michaeli: Hamas engages in clear terrorist acts when it bombs Israeli civilians. We have denounced these actions clearly, I mean if you're referring to the attempt by a former Israeli Member of Knesset to basically smear B'Tselem's director, in order to place us in a position, to present a false image, as if B'Tselem is somehow, in any way, in support of attacks against civilians, it's simply incorrect and it is simply, basically a form of political attack against us then what can we do. . .

Second time:

Alan Mendoza: Are you prepared to call Hamas a terrorist organization? That's what I'm asking you.

Third time:

Alan Mendoza: Are you prepared to call Hamas a terrorist organization?

Sarit Michaeli: As I said, we denounce the terrorist acts perpetrated by Hamas military. We have stated that again and again. Again what you're referring to is a clear attempt by Israeli politicians, to try and present us as if we are terrorists . . .

Alan Mendoza: It's a very simple question. . .

Sarit Michaeli: . . . and of course this is simply unacceptable. . .

Alan Mendoza: . . . and you're not answering it.

Sarit Mendoza: I answered it.

Alan Mendoza: Well, it seems that you believe that Hamas is not a terrorist organization. . .

Sarit Mendoza: We have said that Hamas attacks Israelis, attacks Israeli civilians, and it bombs Israeli civilians. We've denounced these acts, clearly.

Alan Mendoza: It's a terrorist organization part of the time.

Sarit Michaeli: I've answered your question.

Actually, no. You haven't.

Sarit Michaeli: You're trying to basically present our, you know, our attitude and approach to this issue based on the framing of you know, presented by an Israeli extremist right-wing Member of Knesset when he was a radio reporter. This is the backdrop to what we're talking about. I think this notion of somehow like smearing us as like terrorist sympathizers, it's just simply unacceptable. B'Tselem has a very clear record of condemning this type of violence.

Alan Mendoza: I'm afraid that's all we've got time for. Thank you for joining us.

So as a mother of 12 kids, what this reminded me of most is the theory that you never call a child "bad." Rather, you say his actions are bad. "Jimmy, it is a bad thing to bite Susie" but never , "Jimmy, you are a bad boy for biting Susie."

In other words, B'Tselem views Hamas as an unruly child to be tamed with psychobabble. Michaeli won't characterize Hamas as a terrorist organization. She has no compunction, on the other hand, about characterizing Israel as an "occupier."

Just another example of the soft bigotry of low expectations, brought to you by B'Tselem.

(h/t Natan Epstein)

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Last night, armed supporters of Mahmoud Zahar surrounded the home of rival Hamas official Ghazi Hamad over comments he made.

A couple of days ago, Zahar - who is close to the Al Qassam Brigades - said that he was against any reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah, and that if any agreement would let Fatah back in Gaza he would leave Hamas and create an alternative party.

Speaking to a Turkish newspaper, Hamad answered that Hamas would not allow an alternate party to be set up in Gaza, and that Hamas does not make its decisions on dictates from Tehran. Zahar has close ties with Iran.

Zahar's supporters in the Al Qassam Brigades held a tense face-off for several hours with Hamad's own armed guards, and only intense behind-the-scenes negotiations averted gunfire between the sides.

There is other drama in the ranks of the Hamas leadership, as Khaled Meshal is ending his second term as Hamas' political leader, and Gaza Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh is jockeying for position to replace him. This all depends on Haniyeh's ability to leave Gaza, and the stories say that he plans to leave Gaza under the pretense of going on the Hajj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia but really to be available to take over Meshal's position.

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Little correlation between Israeli wine quality and price. Use this to your advantage! (update)

Wine Spectator magazine is putting Israeli wines on its front cover for its October 15 issue.

You can see how they rate over a hundred Israeli wines here.

I wondered if the higher-priced wines would tend to be of better quality. So I ran the numbers:

There was an extremely weak correlation (0.081) between price and score.

The best bargains would be the Barkan Chardonnay Judean Hills Special Reserve 2012, with a score of 91 for $25, and the Tzora Judean Hills White 2014, with a score of 92 for $30.

It is notable that the best wines tend to come from the Judean Hills - in other words, in areas that the world wants Jews to abandon to people for whom drinking wine, by and large, is considered a sin.

UPDATE: Tzora Vineyards is actually on the west side of the Green Line (h/t Danny). Others are as well (h/t Ron.)

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09/06 Links Pt2: Glick: The American Inquisition; BDS is a Settler Colonial Ideology

From Ian:

BDS is a Settler Colonial Ideology

One of the foundational claims of the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement is that Israel is a settler colonial project without legitimacy.
It is a claim repeated in mindless rote fashion, as if repeating it ten times in every discussion is a litmus test for being truly anti-Zionist. The claim is that Jews have no historical claim to the land of Israel, that they are outsiders imposed upon the region by colonial powers upon the indigenous Arab (mostly Muslim) population.
The point of this post is not to address all the lies and distortions build into the settler colonial claim, which is an inversion of history. In fact, the Muslim conquerors who replaced the indigenous Jewish and other populations are the settlers who colonized the area. Zionism is the liberation movement of the indigenous People of the region. That many centuries have passed since Arabs from Arabia and northern Africa settled the area through force does not change the fact that they are not the indigenous Peoples. But that’s an argument for another time.
This post is about how BDS itself has become a settler colonial ideology, which imposes itself on other peoples and other struggles, conquers, and subjugates the goals of others, particularly people of color, to the anti-Israel agenda.
We have documented this hijacking of other movements many times, and described the damage BDS leaves behind. The most glaring example is how anti-Israel BDS activists have infiltrated and redirected the Black Lives Matter movement:

Caroline Glick: The American Inquisition

The most notable aspect of Wheatley’s letter is that it contained no commitment to investigate her allegations of anti-Semitic intimidation on the part of faculty and student BDS goons. It contained no commitment to purge bigoted intimidation from campus or invite Israelis with Zionist views to speak at Syracuse or participate in university events. It contained no mention of any plans to discipline Hamner for engaging in bigoted actions.
Rather, it simply reinvited Dotan, whose anti-Israel credentials were belatedly sorted out.
For nearly eight years, US President Barack Obama’s Justice Department has refused to investigate the flagrant civil rights violations carried out by BDS activists, groups and their faculty and administration allies and enablers. So there is no reason to think that any federal investigation will be conducted any time soon.
Rather, we can expect anti-Jewish prejudice to become ever stronger and more brazen. We can expect Israeli Jews to be shunned to greater and greater degrees and for pro-Israel students, faculty and administrators – Jewish and non-Jewish – to become less and less free to voice their views.
And we can expect the US higher education system to speed up its slide into moral dystopia and intellectual corruption.

An interesting Twitter discussion yesterday started off with this Jeffrey Goldberg tweet about a Haaretz article on how the Times of Israel co-founder has given lots of money to CAMERA, which is highly critical of Haaretz. Here is some of the discussion:

A subthread opened up from Mairav Zonszein, who styles herself as a journalist and has published in The Guardian, the New York Times, the Forward and elsewhere:

Two of the major principles that journalists are supposed to adhere to are fairness and accuracy. We've already shown that Zonszein violates both of those principles, yet calls herself a journalist.

A third major principle is accountability, that journalists must issue corrections and apologies when they violate the other principles. By attacking a media watchdog, Zonszein shows that she is also violating that principle.

So what exactly makes her - and the other critics of CAMERA in the field who refuse to adhere to basic journalistic standards - "journalists"?

I am on the record that I will correct any errors I write no matter what the political orientation of the critic. Why do left-wing journalists have such a problem adhering to the same, basic standard? Even worse, why do they castigate the people who find the errors?

It is almost as if these so-called "journalists" value bias over truth.

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Once upon a time, the people that built things with their own two hands were admired. The pioneers. Their sweat and the dirt beneath their fingernails was a badge of honor, a testament to their courage.

The builders, people who created something from nothing, were upheld as an example.
They who made the rocky hills green, who planted vineyards and made fruit trees grow where, once, there was only desolation – they were the ones to emulate.

To set out alone, relying on no one but oneself was the mark of a man, free in his own land.

They toiled under the sun, individuals with a few family members. People with no family found friends who became family. Together they carved out an existence reborn in the land of their forefathers.

And the world watched in wonder.

They dug wells and planted seeds. They built homes and schools and synagogues. They created places of beauty. They laid the foundation so that more people could come and join them, start families and have children whose laughter rang in the wind as they ran on the hilltops.

Children that were free and strong, stubborn like their parents.

Children who knew they could do anything, achieve anything if they were willing to work hard, like their parents.

Can you imagine the pride of looking at a hill and knowing that it is green because you planted all the seeds? To bring forth wine from a land once empty? To put your arm over your son's shoulders and tell him: "Son, do you remember the day we finished building the house? You helped me lay the titles for the roof. Our home, we did that, together."

They are the pioneers.

Once they were admired.

In America, the land of my birth, pioneers of the land are barely remembered. Who remembers a time when there were no roads, no cities or towns, no gardens, no businesses?

“You didn’t build that” and “Build it for me” are much more common than, “Get out of my way and let me build for myself.”

In Israel, the land of my heritage, the pioneers are still building and creating new life where once there was none. No longer upheld as ones to be admired, they remain as stubborn as their parents. The ground resonates through their feet and the wild freedom of their hearts cannot be imprisoned by disapproval of others.

Looked on with scorn, the world now calls them the “settlers”. As if it is not due to their hard work that I have a place in which I can settle down and call home. As if there is any difference between the “settlers” of today and the pioneers of a generation ago, our founders responsible for the rebirth of this land.

People whisper in horror: “They are religious fanatics, ideologues.” As if it was not thousands of years of keeping faith with our religion and our heritage that led the pioneers back to the land that, even in exile, was always home.

As if the idea of being a self-actualized nation, free in our own land, is a right reserved only for those who are not Jewish.

Many say, “What is wrong with them? Why do they put their children in danger?” The pioneers know that being custodians of the land of our ancestors comes at a terrible price.

The murderous waves of hatred of those who wish Jews gone from the land of our fathers break upon the backs of the pioneers. All too often they pay in blood and tears for the right to enjoy what they built with their own two hands. It takes a will of steel to stand unmoving but they know that they stand in the gap. Should they step aside, the waves will crash, washing away everything: Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Netanya and Haifa.

What choice is there?

They are the pioneers. Courageous and bold, stubborn and unbending, they remain unchanged in a world that has changed dramatically.

They have earned everything they have. They built what we have today.

And I, who have built nothing, am grateful.

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09/06 Links Pt1: PA accuses PMW of incitement for exposing terror incitement of Jibril Rajoub; Iran Is Courting Hamas

From Ian:

PMW: PA accuses PMW of incitement for exposing terror incitement of Jibril Rajoub

In its monthly report on so-called Israeli incitement, the Palestinian Authority's official news agency WAFA accused Palestinian Media Watch of incitement for exposing Jibril Rajoub's incitement to terror and murder.
In its monthly "incitement" report, WAFA extensively quoted an article from the Israeli paper Israel Hayom. That article was an in-depth story on PMW's report The Rajoub File, which documents that:
Jibril Rajoub, Chairman of the Palestine Olympic Committee

Promotes and glorifies Palestinian terror and incites murder of Israelis

Uses his title as Olympic committee chairman while glorifying terror

Prohibits using sports for peacebuilding

Violates the fundamental Olympic principles

Upon publishing the report, PMW sent it to the International Olympic Committee, calling for the committee to:

Demand Mr. Rajoub's removal from the position of Chairman of the Palestine Olympic Committee

Ban Mr. Rajoub from participating in any activities related to the International Olympic Committee, as well as meetings and events of the national Olympic Committees

Prohibit Mr. Rajoub from using the title "Chairman of the Palestine Olympic Committee"

Demand the appointment of a new Palestinian chairman who rejects terror, upholds Olympic values, and facilitates peacebuilding through sports

The International Olympic Committee has not yet responded to PMW's call or reacted to the contents of the report documenting Rajoub's support for terror and murder.

Justice over Terror Denied as PLO Escapes Responsibility

The PLO and PA were clearly responsible. Not only through planning, but through incitement. Official PA TV in 2000 encouraged viewers to “kill those Jews and those Americans who are like them, and those who stand with them.”
The appeals panel cared not. The decision acknowledged the attacks were “unquestionably horrific” — but claimed that the crimes were outside the law’s jurisdiction. Mass carnage was sought, said the court, but not necessarily of Americans.
Setting this standard would leave American victims of international terrorism and their families legally homeless in pursuing justice against their attackers — and effectively render the entire law in question moot.
This is especially dangerous when the Palestinian Authority continues to encourage attacks on innocents. Arafat’s successor, Mahmoud Abbas, sponsors bloodshed by paying millions in salaries to imprisoned terrorists.
The ruling offends the conscience. It must go to the Supreme Court, which cannot let it stand.

Amazing: Ornate flooring of Second Temple reconstructed

From the Ir David Foundation:

Archeologists from the Jerusalem-based Temple Mount Sifting Project are confident that they have successfully restored a unique architectural element of the Second Temple. Namely, a series of regally decorated floor tiles that adorned the porticos atop the Temple Mount, and which likely featured prominently in the courtyards of the Second Temple during the period that King Herod ruled (37 to 4 BCE) in Jerusalem.

"It enables us to get an idea of the Temple's incredible splendor," stated Dr. Gabriel Barkay, co-founder and director of the Temple Mount Sifting Project. The restored tiles will be presented to the general public on September 8^th, at the 17^th Annual City of David Archaeological Conference. “This represents the first time that archeologists have been able to successfully restore an element from the Herodian Second Temple complex,” stated Zachi Dvira, co-founder and director of the Temple Mount Sifting Project.

The Temple Mount Sifting Project was established in response to the illegal removal of tons of antiquities-rich earth from the Temple Mount by the Islamic Waqf in 1999. It is located in the Tzurim Valley National Park, and is supported by the City of David Foundation and the Israel Archaeology Foundation. The initiative is run under the auspices of Bar-Ilan University and the Israel Parks & Nature Authority.

Frankie Snyder, a member of the Temple Mount Sifting Project's team of researchers and an expert in the study of ancient Herodian style flooring, succeeded in restoring the ornate tile patterns “using geometric principles, and through similarities found in tile design used by Herod at other sites,” said Snyder, who has an academic background in mathematics and Judaic Studies. "This type of flooring, called 'opus sectile,’ Latin for ‘cut work,’ is very expensive and was considered to be far more prestigious than mosaic tiled floors.”

"So far, we have succeeded in restoring seven potential designs of the majestic flooring that decorated the buildings of the Temple Mount," said Snyder, explaining that there were no opus sectile floors in Israel prior to the time of King Herod. “The tile segments were perfectly inlaid such that one could not even insert a sharp blade between them."

To date, approximately 600 colored stone floor tile segments have been uncovered, with more than 100 of them definitively dated to the Herodian Second Temple period. This style of flooring is consistent with those found in Herod's palaces at Masada, Herodian, and Jericho among others, as well as in majestic palaces and villas in Italy, also attributed to the time of Herod. The tile segments, mostly imported from Rome, Asia Minor, Tunisia and Egypt, were created from polished multicolored stones cut in a variety of geometric shapes. A key characteristic of the Herodian tiles is their size, which corresponds to the Roman foot, approximately 29.6 cm.

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The possibility that large expanses of the Temple Mount during the Second Temple were covered with opus sectile flooring was first raised by archaeologist Assaf Avraham in 2007, director of the Jerusalem Walls National Park with the Israel Nature and Parks Authority.

Avraham's theory was based on a description given by the Romano-Jewish historian Josephus (1^st Century CE) who wrote, "… the uncovered [Temple Mount courtyard] was completely paved with stones of various types and colors…" (The Jewish War 5:2) Additionally, Talmudic literature records the magnificent construction of the Temple Mount, describing rows of marble in different colors - green, blue and white.

"Now, as a result of Frankie Snyder's mathematical skills, we have succeeded in recreating the actual tile patterns. This represents the first time that we can see with our own eyes the splendor of the flooring that decorated the Second Temple and its annexes 2,000 years ago,” stated Dr. Gabriel Barkay, co-founder and director of the Temple Mount Sifting Project. “Referring to the Temple that Herod built, the Talmud says that 'Whoever has not seen Herod's building has not seen a beautiful building in his life'. Though we have not merited seeing the Temple in its glory, with the discovery and restoration of these unique floor tiles, we are now able to have a deeper understanding and appreciation for the Second Temple, even through this one distinctive characteristic."

Since the Temple Mount Sifting Project’s inception in 2004, more than 200,000 volunteers from around the world have taken part in the sifting, representing an unprecedented phenomenon in the realm of archaeological research.

Here are the photos of the finds, and they are amazing:

It is hard to imagine the scale of destruction done by the Islamic Waqf to the remains of the Second Temple when they constructed an underground mosque on the Temple Mount. Literally the most important archaeological site in the world was destroyed. The Temple Mount sifting Project is doing an amazing job trying to take the tons of materials that were discarded to find these sorts of gems.

And yet, no one from the international community condemned this crime against history by the Muslims who claim the most sacred Jewish site as their own.

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Nobody for President! There is no choice.

When people ask me who I want to vote for this November, I simply cannot answer.

The choices are horrible. I simply cannot stomach voting for either major party. I do not want to be even slightly responsible for either of these major party candidates becoming president.

As much as I hate to abdicate my right to vote, I cannot vote for the US President this year.

I think this is the principled decision.

So I made an online shop where people who agree with me can show that they are disgusted by the candidates and by their campaigns.

Introducing Nobody for President.

You can proudly display your disgust with the current political season by buying a bumper sticker, buttons, T-shirts, mugs or lawn signs at the site.

Make a statement. Buy the swag.

We have lots of ideas, but we need more resources to be even more effective. Please donate today to help get the message out and to help defend Israel.

Jordanians make fun of candidate who claims Israel is threatening him

From Ammon News:

A candidate in the upcoming Jordanian elections on September 20th has claimed that he is receiving threats from the Israeli army - again.

In a post shared on his official Facebook page, candidate Shebli Haddad posted a snapshot of a chat he had with the Arabic media spokesperson of the Israeli Defense Forces, Avechay Adraee. In a brief message, the IDF Spokesperson explains-according to Haddad-that “reliable sources” have told him that Haddad intends to visit the Gaza with the intent of breaking the siege.

Adraee appears to warn Haddad of any consequences that could arise from such a visit, but his picture and message can hardly be seen in the low quality photo.

“Mr. Shebli Haddad

We have learned from reliable sources about your intentions to visit the Gaza Strip with the goal of breaking the siege [on the area]!

We at the Israeli Defense Ministry deplore this behavior, and we warn you of the consequences coming with this visit. We will hold you entirely responsible for what happens. We ask you to cancel your trip to the Gaza Strip, and we are ready to meet with you and fulfill any request in the future in regards to Gaza or the greater State of Israel.

Avechay Adraee, official spokesperson for the Israeli Defense Forces”

This isn’t the first time that Haddad has claimed he’s been threatened by Israel. Stating that full liberation of Palestine from “the river to the sea” is his number one priority once obtaining office, Haddad regularly claims that Zionist plots aim to foil his bid at the parliament.

When he was forced to run for a municipal seat in the elections rather than a parliamentary one, Haddad took to Facebook to claim that the refusal of his candidacy due to unpaid utility bills had more to do with the “betrayal” than his bank account.

Considering the most recent alleged plot against him, the poor quality of the picture, as well as another post of Haddad photoshopped into a meeting with Hillary Clinton, Haddad has not given observers much faith in the message’s authenticity. As a result, many commenters have been quick to call “photoshop”.

Haddad is a candidate for a spot dedicated to Christians.

Besides the clearly manufactured threats against him (Adraee wouldn't have written to him to begin with, he wouldn't have used the word "siege" nor would he have said "greater State of Israel") Haddad also claimed that he was offered a "blank check" to withdraw his candidacy.

No one takes him seriously but he manages to get coverage for his antics.

Here's the alleged message from the IDF spokesperson:

Haddad also used an online tool - whose logo is all over this picture - to pretend that Paris Hilton is a fan of his:

The days where politicians can get votes by claiming Zionist conspiracies aren't just over. They themselves are now considered to be jokes.

We have lots of ideas, but we need more resources to be even more effective. Please donate today to help get the message out and to help defend Israel.