Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Jews get attacked 2.5X more than Muslims in America. Muslims get 25X more headlines.

The latest FBI Hate Crimes statistics report, for 2015, shows that the number of antisemitic hate crimes increased by 9% last year, from 609 to 664.

Hate crimes against Jews outnumber hate crimes against every other religious group.

But anti-Muslim hate crimes increased sharply, by 67%, so most of the news headlines concentrate on how awful that is. But still, it is only 257 attacks, far less than the number of antisemitic attacks.

I'm not saying that it is great, and it is a worrying trend, but Jews remain far more likely to be targets of hate crimes in America than Muslims are. Yet most of the news stories barely mention that.

AP waited until the last sentence of the article to mention that most religious based hate crimes are against Jews. So did CNN. Fox buried it in paragraph 9. The Guardian made it sound like there were far more Muslim hate crimes than any other, with a quote from an "expert": "Levin said that Muslims were now the most disdained social group in the US, and have subsequently been subject to widespread prejudice." The Christian Science Monitor mentioned Jewish attacks in the second paragraph but the headline was about Muslims.

One of the only news outlets that tried to be accurate was MassLive. Even though its headline also only mentioned Muslim victims, the first paragraph says:

The number of hate crimes reported against Muslims nationally jumped by 67 percent in 2015 — but a majority of religiously motivated hate crimes were still committed against Jews, according to statistics released Monday by the FBI.

Now, was that so hard?

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11/15 Links Pt2: Jewish liberals, when will they ever learn?; The Secret War of Agence France Presse against Israel

From Ian:

The Secret War of Agence France Presse against Israel

Biased information about Israel in the French press is not an episodic occurrence. It is a systematic one. The main engine of this biased information industry is blatantly the Agence France Presse.
It is so thoroughly a "pro-Palestinian news agency" that this French institution does not see anything unethical about hiring Palestinian activists as reporters: "Nasser Abu Baker, the chairman of the Palestinian Journalists' Syndicate, the leading force for the boycott of Israeli journalists and media, also writes for the influential French news agency."
The same bias appears in the media and news agencies all over the developed world, including Reuters, the BBC and the AP. Why, when it comes to Israel, is such a misinterpretation of reality so generalized in the press? The only answer is that a war is in progress: a war of delegitimization.

Bannon not an anti-Semite, but happy to court them, ex-editor says

Stephen Bannon, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick as White House chief strategist, helped mold the Breitbart News Network website into a home of the racist, anti-Semitic alt-right movement, but never himself displayed any overt hatred of Jews, according to a former editor of the site.
Ben Shapiro, who served as editor-at-large of Breitbart, said he never saw “any direct evidence that Bannon was an anti-Semite” when he worked with him, but witnessed his comfort with “pandering” to the publication’s fringe readership, which over the last year and a half galvanized Trump’s improbable ascension to the presidency.
Bannon’s pick as senior counselor and chief White House strategist, one of the top positions in the upcoming Trump administration, has drawn scorn from Democrats and Republicans alike, along with Jewish, Muslim and anti-hate groups.
“It’s a sad day when a man who presided over the premier website of the ‘alt-right’ — a loose-knit group of white nationalists and unabashed anti-Semites and racists — is slated to be a senior staff member in the ‘people’s house,” the racism watchdog Anti-Defamation League said in a statement late Sunday, right after the appointment was announced.

ZOA: ADL should apologize for Anti-Bannon accusations.

The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) has released a statement stating that it is "painful" to see the character assassination against President-elect Trump’s appointee Stephen Bannon.
ZOA President Morton A. Klein said that the Anti-Defamation League and its president Jonathan Greenblatt should apologize for essentially accusing Bannon and his media company of “anti-Semitism” and Israel hatred. Greenblatt/ADL tweeted that Bannon “presided over the premier website of the ‘alt right’ – a loose-knit group of white nationalists and anti-Semites."
"In fact," Klein continued, "as pro-Israel writer (and orthodox Jew) Joel B. Pollak wrote, Mr. Bannon is 'an American patriot who defends Israel and has deep empathy for the Jewish people.'” In addition, the ZOA asks rhetorically, "would pro-Israel stalwarts/Trump advisors Gingrich, Giuliani, Pence, Kushner, Friedman, Greenblatt, Adelson allow an anti-Semite on board?"
Trump's appointment of Bannon as his "chief strategist and senior counselor" has raised concern in some sectors due to controversial statements and positions taken by Bannon. However, the ZOA has researched and found many pro-Israel and pro-Jewish positions taken by Bannon and the Breitbart media site he headed.
Some ZOA examples of Bannon's "friendship and fair-mindedness towards Israel and the Jewish people" include his efforts against the anti-Semitic rallies at CUNY, as well as articles reporting that the Palestinian Authority defames Israel with blatant falsehoods.

Dr. Ahmed Majdalani, member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, says that Israel is planning "the liquidation of the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, as happened with his predecessor, Yasser Arafat."

Majdalani told Xinhua News Agency that "the same old scenario in which Israel used with Arafat is currently being used with Abbas, and this is now clear to every Palestinian."

"We noticed that scenario to get rid of Arafat began as he was no longer [considered] a partner for peace and he had been accused of supporting terrorism, and currently Abbas is described as no longer a partner for peace and practicing international and diplomatic terrorism," Majdalani said.

Also, "We have noted corruption charges against Abbas and his family, which is the same as what happened previously with Arafat."

Why now? "Because [Israel] could not force him to surrender him as they pushed him to give up Palestinian rights, and therefore he is considered an obstacle and the campaigns to target him politically are a blatant introduction of the possibility of his being targeted physically."

Conspiracy theories aren't just for the past any more!

Abbas is 81 years old and he won't last that much longer, so why not blame Israel for his death ahead of time?

This isn't the first time Palestinian leaders preemptively blame Israel for things that might happen. This is like the people who claim that the Al Aqsa Mosque us being undermined by Israeli tunnels or chemicals - if there is another earthquake, they have already planted the seed that Israel is behind its possible collapse.

There is one constant: if anything bad happens or will happen, Israel is to blame.

It seems likely that Majdalani is floating this now, along with his praise of Abbas, to position himself on Abbas' good side before the upcoming Fatah conference scheduled for November 29.

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I just experienced one of the most Israeli moments you can possibly have.

That Israeli moment when your man helps his son decide which IDF unit to request. Enlistment is mandatory but the IDF gives pre-inductees the opportunity to rank their preferences. Final decisions are made according to need and, of course, the capabilities of each individual soldier.

I watched two versions of the same man, so similar and yet so different, one grown up, one almost grown up, sit shoulder to shoulder, to choose the destiny of the younger.

To watch a father watch his son read about each army unit and what they do.

“This commando unit is better than that one, isn’t it dad?”

“Yes. They go first in to fire.”

To watch a father imagine his son die a thousand ways. In Gaza, in Lebanon, in Judea and Samaria. Arresting terrorists. In urban combat. Sneaking behind enemy lines on a special mission. By a sniper shot, in an explosion, in a battle.

The nightmare floating in front of his eyes. The sound of the dreaded knock on the door ringing in his ears…

“If you don’t pass the tests for the elite you unit want, you should go to the anti-aircraft defense unit.”

“Dad, there is no way I’m going to sit in a base and push a button to knock planes out of the sky when I could be in the field, directing combat.”

That expression on his face, simultaneously glowing with pride and drowning in the horrible possibility of losing that which is most precious… I watched him sit silently, listening.

“Dad, dismantling bombs is kinda cool, don’t you think?”

That moment when a father watches his son make his choices, explain his priorities and preferences. When a son asks his father, “Is it ok dad? Did I choose well?”

“Yes son.”

That moment when a father waits until his teenage son walks out of the room to let the tears well up in his eyes.

Quietly I said, “You should tell him that you are proud of him.”

“I want my son to come home, not a [dead] hero.”

“I know dear. I know.”

My God. What a moment.

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11/15 Links Pt1: Fatah official: Trump’s “true face” – “Zionist and racist”; The West Must Stop Enabling Palestinian Lies and Hate

From Ian:

PMW: Fatah official: Trump’s “true face” – “Zionist and racist”

Following the election of Donald Trump as the next US president, Palestinian leaders and others have reacted to the choice of the American people and voiced their opinions and expectations of Trump.
Deputy Secretary of the Fatah Central Committee Jibril Rajoub commented on Trump's "true" nature, categorizing him as a "Zionist and racist":
"Regarding [US President-elect Donald] Trump, I think that even before he won, he revealed his true face, Zionist and racist, supporting and adopting the Israeli right-wing and racist policy. In my opinion, his predecessor [US President Barack Obama] is not better than him, even though at the beginning he tried to present himself in a different way."
[Al-Mayadeen TV (Lebanon), Nov. 11, 2016]
The PA ambassador to the UN "warned Trump" against carrying out his campaign promise to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem, considering it an "aggression" and "attack":
"Palestinian Ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour said that if [US] President-elect Donald Trump decides to implement his promise to transfer the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, the Palestinians 'will make life miserable' for the US at the UN institutions. 'If they attack us by transferring the embassy to Jerusalem, that will constitute a violation of a [UN] Security Council resolution, and [UN] General Assembly Resolution 181 (i.e., the UN Partition Plan), which was drafted by the US. A step such as this would mean a revelation of aggression towards us..."
[Amad, independent Palestinian news agency, Nov. 13, 2016, emphasis added]

NGO Monitor: The European-Funded NGO PFLP Network

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) is a terrorist organization designated as such by the US, EU, Canada, and Israel. The PFLP is involved in suicide bombings, hijackings, and assassinations, among other terrorist activities targeting civilians.
Many European countries fund a network of organizations, some of which are directly affiliated with the PFLP, and others with a substantial presence of employees and officials linked to the PFLP. The non-governmental organizations (NGOs) include Addameer, Al-Haq, Alternative Information Center (AIC), Defense for Children International – Palestine (DCI-P), Health Work Committee (HWC), Stop the Wall, Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), and the Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC).
The NGO ties to the PFLP range from establishment and operation of NGOs by the PFLP itself to NGO officials and staffers being convicted of terrorism charges by Israeli courts. Some of these individuals have been denied entry and exit visas by Israeli (and Jordanian) authorities due to security concerns. A significant number of these NGO officials hold multiple positions in various organizations, indicating the close connections and relationships between these groups.
Donors to the NGOs include the EU, the governments of Sweden, Denmark, Spain, Norway, Ireland, UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, France, and Switzerland, and the United Nations. Continued funding raises serious questions about due diligence and evaluation on the part of the governments and the UN, as well as compliance with domestic and international laws.
One such example is the NGO Addameer, which is funded by Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and others. Addameer campaigns in support of Palestinians convicted of security offenses. This agenda should have demanded close scrutiny and due diligence before any grants were provided.

JCPA: Incentivizing Terrorism: Palestinian Authority Allocations to Terrorists and their Families

The PA maintains longstanding legislation and payments to subsidize terrorists and their families. This amounts to an officially sanctioned PA government incentive system to kill Israelis. When I learned of this in November 2015, I was quite shocked. I proceeded to raise the issue with organized American Jewish community leaders and Israeli policymakers, and was told “everybody knows.” Disconcerted by my own lack of knowledge, I canvassed numerous American political leaders who, without exception, were unaware of the PA legislation/budget. The few leaders who were aware that the PA directly pays terrorists thought that the funding was only $5-$6 million; they were shocked to learn that according to the official PA budget online, it is $300 million for 2016.
Last year, the prevailing opinion was that the wave of knifers against Israelis consisted of young and disaffected “lone wolves.” As I examined the issue more closely, I realized that the “incitement” is much more than just an errant cleric or wayward school board, but rather is an institutional campaign of violence against Israel, coordinated, and funded by the PA themselves.This “struggle” or war is endorsed by the Palestinian leadership, as evidenced by their 2004 legislation specifying, “The prisoners and released prisoners are a fighting sector and integral part of the fabric of Arab Palestinian society.” PA budget line items are earmarked for funding prisoners, released prisoners, and families of “martyrs.”

Today, as we mentioned, Palestinian Arabs are celebrating their version of Independence Day, as it is the anniversary of when they issued a "Declaration of Independence" - in Algiers.

The official translation of the document includes references to freedom of religion, and the accompanying political communique that explains the document includes this:

With a view to putting this affirmation into practice, the Palestine National Council insists on the following:
....
(f) Assurance of freedom of worship and the practice of religious rites at the holy places in Palestine for adherents of all religions

There it is, in black and white: Jews are allowed to freely pray at their holy sites. Which include the right to worship at Joseph's Tomb without fear of being lynched or arrested, to visit the ancient synagogue in Jericho without restriction, and of course the right for Jews to visit and pray at their holiest spot on the Temple Mount.

However, in their 2003 Basic Law, perhaps realizing that this was a potential problem for them, they added a caveat:

Freedom of belief, worship and the performance of religious functions are guaranteed, provided public order or public morals are not violated.

Since anything Jews do is immoral and disruptive by definition, they have a reason to riot and attack Jews trying to pray.

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From Now Lebanon:

In its first-ever military parade on foreign soil, Lebanon’s Hezbollah flaunted a sizeable fleet of heavy weaponry in the Syrian city of Qusayr Friday, according to news reports and photos circulated by social media accounts close to the organization.

Among the arms and vehicles on display were Soviet-made T-72 tanks and KS-12A anti-aircraft cannons; Russian Kornet anti-tank missiles (mounted, in some cases, on quad bikes); dune buggy-mounted machine guns; and off-road motorbikes. Significantly, the parade also featured American-manufactured M113 armored personnel carriers (APCs).

Al Asharq al Awsat notes:

Member of the Syrian Coalition opposition, Michel Kilo told Asharq Al-Awsat that the party’s military parade in Syria proves that “Hezbollah” was not only a force fighting there, but also rather an occupation force. “The presence of Hezbollah in Syria is not an emergency and is not temporary anymore. The party wants to assert that its presence is part of the widespread Iranian presence that covers Syria entirely,” Kilo said.

He's right. A military parade only makes sense for those who claim sovereignty over the area the parade is being held. It is an assertion of power.

Of course, Hezbollah can only do this with Iranian support, and Iran's support comes in no small part because the US has allowed the world to resume pouring money into Iran in exchange for a temporary slowdown in its pursuit of nuclear weapons.

Legal scholars seem to have taken both sides on the question of whether the definition of military occupation includes occupation at the invitation of the host government. This parade indicates that the line has been crossed into an actual occupation; Syria's government has turned into a puppet of the forces that it is asking to help it and it can no longer say no even if it wanted to.

The proof? There was no Syrian involvement in the parade. If Hezbollah just wanted to show off how it was helping Syria fight off what they call "terrorists," then why not invite their benevolent hosts?

In addition, locals were not allowed to even view the parade.

Iran and its proxies control Syria, they are not acting on behalf of Syria.

Hezbollah is, of course, a designated terrorist organization. But it is also a foreign occupier as a proxy for Iran, whose goal is to inexorably take over the Middle East - from Lebanon to Syria to Iraq to Yemen.

While human rights activists are generally vocal about Syria, it is interesting how silent the human rights community is specifically about this occupation of Syrian territory.

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The anniversary of the "peaceful Palestinian state" scam

Last week, Mahmoud Abbas bragged yet again about his intransigence and refusal to make peace with Israel, daring anyone to find a single difference between the PLO positions today and those of 1988.

What happened in 1988?

On November 15, 1988, Yasir Arafat declared Palestinian "independence" - in a meeting in Algeria.

The media at the time hailed it as a breakthrough, because the "Declaration of Independence" mentioned - but did not accept - UNSC resolution 242, which implies recognition of Israel.

The document, which was crafted by poet Mahmoud Darwish, uses the word "peace" 8 times and its accompanying communique an additional 11 times. For example:

The State of Palestine, in declaring that it is a peace-loving State committed to the principles of peaceful coexistence, shall strive, together with all other States and peoples, for the achievement of a lasting peace based on justice and respect for rights...

In the context of its struggle to bring peace to a land of peace and love, the State of Palestine calls upon the United Nations, which bears a special responsibility towards the Palestinian Arab people and its homeland, and upon the peace-loving States and peoples of the world and those that cherish freedom to assist it in achieving its goals, in bringing the plight of its people to an end, in ensuring the safety and security of that people and in endeavouring to end the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory.

The State of Palestine further declares, in that connection, that it believes in the solution of international and regional problems by peaceful means in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and the resolutions adopted by it, and that, without prejudice to its natural right to defend itself, it rejects the threat or use of force, violence and intimidation against its territorial integrity and political independence or those of any other State.

In the past 28 years we have seen the same PLO celebrate numerous terror attacks and turn terrorists into heroes.

This is because the accompanying communique justifies terror at the same time that it claims that it is against it:

The Palestine National Council renews its commitment to United Nations resolutions affirming the right of peoples to resist foreign occupation, colonialism and racial discrimination, and their right to struggle for their independence. It once again states its rejection of terrorism in all its forms, including State terrorism...

You cannot read this document without a glossary - because it defines murdering Jews as a human right and it defines Israel's defense against terrorism as terrorism itself.

This indeed has been the playbook for 28 years - to insist that the Palestinians are a peace-loving people while at the same time supporting all forms of terror against Israelis as a form of "justice" and a "human right."

The document might as well have been written in 1984. Language itself has become a weapon.

But the playbook has been remarkably successful, and Mahmoud Abbas has continued in its path by speaking of "peace" and "justice" while literally embracing unrepentant murderers.

Abbas is right - nothing has changed in 28 years. November 15, 1988 was the birth of a new strategy to pretend that the Palestinian leadership had turned from terror-supporters into peace-loving doves. One only has to glance at their own media, their schoolbooks, their jubilant celebrations at terror attacks to learn that nothing has changed, but the wishful-thinking West chooses to ignore the constant support of terror as the anomaly and the lies about "peace" as the truth.

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11/14 Links Pt2: Ending Aid to Terrorists; From Bataclan to Mike’s Place; The Star of David becomes a Swastika in Germany

From Ian:

Jewish Groups at Texas U Cancel Lecture by Author Caroline Glick for Fear of ‘Alienating’ Anti-Zionists on Campus

A program slated for Monday, featuring a lecture by renowned American-Israeli writer Caroline Glick — author, most recently, of The Israeli Solution: A One-State Plan for Peace in the Middle East — has caused Jewish and pro-Israel students at the University of Texas at Austin to fear that her message might anger anti-Zionists on campus, The Algemeiner has learned.
“Some people are concerned Glick may not be the best representative for what we are trying to accomplish — that is, promoting our message and advocating for Israel,” Eliav Turk, who sits on the board of both Texans for Israel and AIPAC on Campus, told The Algemeiner. “There are fears she may alienate student groups and minorities we are trying to attract, which have traditionally taken a non pro-Israel stance.”
The students who expressed displeasure with the program — funded by CEO of Davidsohn Global Technologies, Joseph Davidsohn — belong to groups such as Hillel, Texans for Israel and AIPAC on Campus.
Davidsohn called the push-back against Glick disgraceful. “She is being vilified because student groups believe she promotes a one-state solution — which means they clearly haven’t read her book,” he told The Algemeiner. “It is important that students hear her speak and learn an alternative narrative about Israel, not just the one put out by groups like Students for Justice in Palestine or Black Lives Matter.”

Ending Aid to Terrorists (WSJ $)

In his eulogy recently for Israeli statesman Shimon Peres, President Obama spoke of the “unfinished business” of Israeli-Palestinian peace. Now he or Donald Trump have an opportunity to advance the cause—by backing legislation to stop the flow of U.S. tax dollars to Palestinian terrorists.
Since the 1990s, as the U.S. and other countries have sent billions of dollars in aid to the Palestinians, Palestinian leaders have paid hundreds of millions of dollars in rewards to those who carry out bombings, stabbings and other attacks in Israel. These payments, codified in Palestinian law, are an official incentive program for murder that in any other context would be recognized as state sponsorship of terror. But the U.S. and other Western states have looked the other way while continuing to send aid, giving Palestinian leaders no incentive to stop.
Senators Lindsey Graham,Dan Coats and Roy Blunt have introduced a bill to end U.S. economic aid unless Palestinian leaders stop rewarding terrorists. It’s called the Taylor Force Act, after the 28-year-old U.S. Army veteran stabbed to death in March by a Palestinian in the Israeli city of Jaffa. Other American victims of recent Palestinian terrorism include 13-year-old Hallel Yaffa Ariel and 18-year-old Ezra Schwartz.
“They will never achieve peace when you pay one of your young men to kill someone like Taylor Force. That’s inconsistent and it needs to stop,” Mr. Graham (R., S.C.) says. “We’re not going to invest in a group of people that have laws like this. It’s just not a good investment.” The same Palestinian laws guarantee civil-service employment to terrorists upon their release from prison—the bloodier their crime, the cushier their post.“If you’re in jail for five to six years, you come out with the civilian rank of department head or lieutenant in their security forces, you get to choose. If you’re in jail 25 to 30 years, you become a deputy minister or a major general,” Mr. Graham adds.
Mr. Coats (R., Ind.) notes that Congress tried to stop subsidizing terror payments in 2014, but Palestinian leaders dodged that law with a “shell game” that passed payments through the Palestine Liberation Organization, which technically isn’t a recipient of U.S. aid. When lawmakers raised this with the State Department they got only a “tepid” response, says Mr. Coats. One State Department report praised the payments as “an effort to reintegrate” released prisoners into society.
The truth is these payments are blood-soaked gifts from a Palestinian leadership still devoted more to destroying Israel than to building a Palestinian state. This has always been the chief impediment to peace. Mr. Obama is unlikely to act in his final days, but the Trump Administration and new Congress could send a powerful message by passing the Taylor Force Act. (h/t Elder of Lobby)

‘Dreams Deferred: A Concise Guide to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and the Movement to Boycott Israel’ (REVIEW)

Dreams Deferred: A Concise Guide to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and the Movement to Boycott Israel, by Cary Nelson, (MLA Members for Scholars’ Rights and Indiana University Press, 2016). ISBN 978-0-253-02516-6. 396 pp.
Cary Nelson — whose impressive credentials include being a longtime professor at the University of Illinois, author or editor of over 30 books and president of the American Association of University Professors from 2006-2012 — firmly cemented his reputation as an authority on academic boycotts with his 2015 anthology (co-edited with Gabriel Brahm), The Case Against Academic Boycotts of Israel.
His new book, which draws on the earlier one and also adapts material written by several other scholars, now offers everything its subtitle promises — and, as we’ll see, more. As such it is absolutely essential reading for anyone interested not merely in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but also in its increasingly heated proxy conflict on campuses across the world.
Dreams Deferred aims (its publisher tells us) to “empower readers to be informed participants in conversations and debates,” providing “facts and arguments to assist all who seek justice for both Israelis and Palestinians and who believe the two-state solution can yet be realized.”

J-Street's website brags about how effective it was in lobbying for senators and members of Congress who supported the Iran deal.

They aren't telling you the truth.

In the Senate, J-Street's candidates did particularly poorly.

A trusted source who tallies these sorts of things tells me that:

- Of the 23 senators up for reelection who opposed the Iran deal, 21 of them (91%) were reelected.

- J-Street only won 4 of 14 competitive and open seat senate races (29%).

- J-Street PAC spent tens of thousands of dollars on ads to support former Senator Russ Feingold, who was way ahead in the polls before J-Street got involved and made the Iran deal an issue. he lost to Republican Ron Johnson, who became the first Republican Senator to win reelection in Wisconsin in a presidential year since 1956.

Even in the House, J-Street is looked upon as toxic.

- Among the 55 newly elected House members (28R, 27D), only 5 (9%) accepted an endorsement from J-Street.

- Out of 31 competitive congressional races that J-Street got involved in, its candidates won only 7.

I also looked at J-Street's poll of Jewish voters that make it look as if they overwhelmingly support the Iran deal. The questions they asked were the worst sort of leading questions.

For example:

As you may know, the United States reached an agreement last year with Britain, Germany, France, China, Russia, and Iran that places significant limits on Iran's nuclear program to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon in exchange for lifting economic sanctions on Iran. Details of the agreement include: putting international nuclear experts on the ground to inspect Iran's nuclear facilities, and capping the level at which Iran can enrich uranium to far below what is necessary to make a nuclear weapon. In exchange, Iran receives phased sanctions relief, including the unfreezing of up to $150 billion in Iranian assets as it complies with the terms of the agreement. Do you support or oppose this agreement?

The question doesn't say anything negative about the deal, so naturally the people surveyed said that they were somewhat supportive of the deal.

If the question would have added a simple "...and after 15 years, Iran will be free to pursue nuclear weapons without any significant obstacles" the numbers of people who would have said they supported it would have gone way down. If the question would have mentioned Iran's threats to destroy Israel, the results would have been much different. But -Street dishonestly frames the question to lead people to the answer they want to trumpet.

In short - don't trust a word J-Street says. They are trying to gaslight you.

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Iran starts to threaten a Shiite takeover of Mecca

The National Council of Resistance to Iran issued a remarkable press release on Sunday:

In his speech aired on state-run TV Ofogh, Mullah Mehdi Ta'eb, a clergy close to Khmenei, unveiled the Iranian regime's plots in the region and talked about occupation of Saudi and Mecca by the regime's mercenaries in Yemen. Ta'eb is the head of Ammar headquarters, the center for organizing the regime's plain-clothed agents who have a criminal role in suppression of popular protests and demonstrations, and torturing and execution of the regime's opponents.

"God has sent you a blessing named Yemen… Do you know where the Yemenis are going? They want to occupy House of God; they have one million combatants, none of whom will return from the front, they are steadfast; His excellency (Khamenei) praised their leader on Eid al-Fitr, and called him as the Yemenis' wise and courageous leader. The day Saudi attacked Yemen, Mr. Seyyed Abdulmalek said we shall hopefully set up prayer of victory near the House of God; which means he would proceed up to there. But you should know that the whole story of Syria, Yemen, Bahrain, … all depends on you (IRGC members)," said Ta'eb. (State TV Ofogh- November 7)

Earlier Ta'eb had also emphasized the regime's aggressive plans in the region and occupation of four Arab capitals, being Baghdad, Damascus, Beirut and Sanaa.

Remarks made by Khamenei's inner circle, and the actions of IRGC members and the regime's mercenaries show clearly as long as mullahs are in power, export of terrorism and crisis and warmongering will go on in this part of the world.

If this is true, and Khamenei-aligned Shiite clergy are openly threatening Saudi Arabia, this re-emphasizes the fact that Iran is trying to become the regional superpower. It has been working on that plan for many years, but to have a cleric brag that Iran now controls four capitals that only five years ago were Sunni is a sobering thought.

And in 15 years, they will have the ability to build a nuclear weapon, thanks to our outgoing president.

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11/14 Links Pt1: Col Kemp: Trump and International Security; U.S. Embassy: Next Year in Jerusalem?

From Ian:

BESA: Worse than a Crime: The Folly of Seeking an Imposed Solution to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

The attempt to impose a solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict is worse than a crime; it is a mistake. Even the whiff of coercion deludes the Palestinian leadership and feeds their hope that they can avoid the hard decisions that are necessary for compromise. It also stiffens resistance within Israel to concessions, undermines the legitimacy of any negotiated outcome, and makes implementation all but impossible.
The notion that an externally imposed solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is viable and ultimately in Israel’s best interest is sheer folly. It proceeds from a set of wrong assumptions: that the failure to achieve a breakthrough is entirely Israel's fault ("the settlements," etc.); that a short sharp shock is all that would be needed to make Israel "come to its senses;" and that the only reason a solution has not yet been imposed is that Israel has been shielded from the consequences of its policies by powerful friends (mainly in the US).
Each of these false assumptions leads to a false conclusion, and following their logic would be counterproductive. To begin with, while not all Israeli actions and positions over the past two decades have been strategically wise (the structure of the Oslo process comes to mind), much of the responsibility for their failure lies with the Palestinians. The Palestinians continue to glorify and reward violence and cling fervently to the hope that they can achieve statehood on their own terms, without conceding Israel's basic need for security, and without recognizing the reciprocal legitimacy of the two national movements.
The Palestinians’ refusal to accept Israel as the embodiment of the right of the Jewish people for national self-determination – indeed, their refusal to accept that there is a Jewish people – undermines what is certainly a basic requirement if peace agreements are to hold.

Col. Kemp: Trump and International Security

It is the EU, not Donald Trump, that threatens to undermine NATO and the security of the West. An EU defence union will present a direct threat to NATO, competing for funds, building in duplication and confusion, and setting up rival military structures.
"You can't say the past doesn't matter, the values we share don't matter, but instead try to get as much money out of NATO as possible and whether I can get a good deal out of it." — German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen.
This is breath-taking hypocrisy from the defence minister of Germany, which spends less than 1.2% of GDP on defence against an agreed NATO minimum target of 2%, while freeloading off the America's 73% contribution to NATO's overall defence spending.
European leaders would do well to recognize that they need the US more than the US needs them, and that real, concrete, committed defence from the world's greatest military power is more beneficial to them than a fantasy army that will have plenty of flags, headquarters and generals but no teeth.
Trump should also prioritize both practical and moral support to anti-Islamist regimes in the Middle East, such as Sisi's Egypt.
Rather than spreading fear and false propaganda about Donald Trump, they should be praying that he will provide the strength that is so desperately needed today, and working out how best they can support rather than attack him.

Seth Frantzman: Seven policy goals for the Trump administration

‘The world has been undergoing a huge change... it is compounded by the fact that for about a year now foreign policy has been on hold, in the sense that every country has been waiting for the result of the [US] election,” Henry Kissinger told BBC Newsnight last week. Kissinger, who is approaching 94 years old and has influenced policy with 10 US administrations, said that President elect Donald Trump deserves to be given a chance as he develops a foreign policy agenda.
For his part Trump spoke to The Wall Street Journal over the weekend about his agenda. “I’ve had an opposite view of many people regarding Syria,” he said.
He echoed views put forward in debates with Hillary Clinton, suggesting that the US Syria policy was a mess. Iran was “becoming powerful” and America has no idea “who these people are,” referring to the Syrian rebels it has supported. He urged a climbdown from possible conflict with Russia. Trump suggested an “ultimate deal” between Israel and the Palestinians.
Kissinger is one of the few visible foreign policy advisors whose insights Trump sought out during the campaign. Visiting him in May, the Republican candidate obviously impressed Kissinger, who seems to be assured Trump is not the fire starter he came across as during the campaign.
“In public he speaks with great assurance, but some of the proposals he has made most emphatically will encounter obstacles to implementation,” Kissinger told The Atlantic. The former secretary of state laid out some ideas for the problems Trump will face. The US is close to sacrificing its “core national beliefs,” and its reputation as a “shining city on the hill” has been tarnished, he said. “A society has to have a vision of its future, and it cannot be based on guilt primarily.” In a chaotic world the US needed to formulate a coherent policy “based on agreed-upon principles that are necessary for the operation of the entire system.”
So, what is to be done? Let’s look at key policy issues.

Haaretz reports:

The Ministerial Committee for Legislation approved on Sunday a bill prohibiting the use of loudspeakers at mosques during Muslim prayer services.
Earlier, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voiced support for the legislation. "Israel is committed to freedom of religion, but it must also protect citizens from the noise. This is how it is in European cities and I support similar enforcement and legislation in Israel," the prime minster said.
The bill would have to pass several readings in the Knesset to become law.

The law, while obviously aimed at mosques, is written to ban loudspeakers from all religious institutions.

Palestinians are livid about the possibility that the law would be enforced in parts of the territories, and they are threatening Israel should the law pass.

The PA threatened to go to the Security Council.

The head of Islamic Jihad said "the decision confirms the extent of arrogance of the occupation , which was based on criminality, murder and destruction and to provoke the feelings of Muslims. ...this decision excceds all red lines.

Hamas issued a statement saying it is "an outrageous provocation to the feelings of Muslims all over the world, and unacceptable interference in the worship and religious rites." It said it violates international laws and conventions.

The Resistance Committees said Israel is instigating a religious war aimed at Judaizing Jerusalem and obliterating Islamic identity.

The PA Minister of Waqf and Religious Affairs said that this law threatens the entire region with a religious war, through the violations of freedom of beliefs.

Perhaps the most honest evaluation came from an Al Aqsa imam who said that anyone who doesn't like the call to prayer blaring at 5 AM should simply move somewhere else. Which is indeed part of the reason it is done to begin with, far beyond the requirements or customs of Islam - it is not a simple call to prayer but an assertion of sovereignty.

Haaretz notes that even Egypt has tried to ban the calls to prayer, and notes that many Islamic scholars say there is no religious dimension to loudspeakers:

Arguments over mosques’ use of loudspeakers to broadcast the voice of the muezzin calling Muslims to prayer have arisen over the past several years in several countries, first and foremost in Egypt, which is not only the largest Arab state but is considered a role model and source of guidance since Cairo is home to Al-Azhar, the most prominent Sunni institution in the Arab and Muslim world.
A number of years ago the issue made headlines when Egypt’s then-Religious Endowments Minister, Mahmoud Hamdi Zakzouk, said loudspeakers were an invention that has nothing to do with Islamic law, and that they even constituted an undermining of Islam, which spread and expanded over hundreds of years without loudspeakers or other technology. Senior religious leaders, however, said that conveying the call of the muezzin is an Islamic principle, making the use of loudspeakers permitted and even vital to broadcast the call and convey it to all believers.
Nevertheless, there are senior figures in the Islamic world who agree that external loudspeakers should only be used to call people to prayer, and not to broadcast the prayers themselves, particularly the Friday prayers that include the traditional sermon. There are those who argue that amplification systems during prayer should only be used within the mosques themselves.

The hysterical reactions from the Palestinian leadership proves once again that this has nothing to do with religion but with Islamic attempts at hegemony in the region.

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No matter what happens with Trump, Obama's anti-Israel narrative will take a huge hit

I have no idea what is going to happen in a Trump administration, either domestically or in foreign policy. I don't know what his Israel policy will be.

But there will be one instant and long-lasting effect: the Obama narrative on the conflict will become hugely diminished.

In Obama's worldview, Israel is the only party with any agency and any responsibility. And the lack of peace is wholly Israel's fault.

In Obama's worldview, Palestinian terror is an unfortunate but understandable consequence of Israeli policies.

In Obama's worldview, Jews living in Judea and Samaria is the single biggest obstacle to peace.

In Obama's worldview, Netanyahu is an intransigent bully who has no desire for peace and whose policies will doom Israel unless the left saves the country in spite of him.

In Obama's worldview, supporting Iran is the only reliable path for a stable Middle East.

In Obama's worldview, American Zionists are part of the problem, and therefore an alternative movement that shares his viewpoint must be encouraged and propped up.

The President isn't only about policies and laws and bills and strategy: The White House has a huge influence on American public opinion and how Americans view the world.

Americans will inevitably view the Middle East differently because no one that shares the Obama worldview will remain in the White House.

It will be shocking to the world the first time President Trump opines on the Middle East. But chances are that he will look at it without the obscuring clouds of years of lies about "settlers" and "Likud intransigence". If there is anything Trump loves to do, it is to burst the bubble of conventional wisdom.

Maybe he'll ask, "If settlements are inexorably taking over the entire disputed areas, then why don't Palestinians rush to make peace and protect what they can?"

Maybe he'll ask, "Why, 23 years after Oslo, has the Palestinian Authority continued to teach hate on TV and in the classrooms?"

Maybe he'll ask, "If Palestinians want peace so much, why have they turned down every peace offer, and why did they respond to the Clinton plan with a war on Jewish civilians?"

Maybe he'll ask, "Why are people wanting to boycott the one country that does more for human rights than any other country in the entire Middle East"?

Maybe he'll ask, "What possible purpose does it serve to keep the US embassy out of the undisputed part of Jerusalem?" (The official answer, that the US still officially supports the part of the 1947 partition plan where all of Jerusalem was supposed to become an international city, is so stupid that it is a perfect thing for a Trumpian president to expose and ridicule to show that he is different from his predecessors.)

These types of obvious questions - obvious to anyone who is not caught up in the previous narrative, that is - will create more positive change than any number of conferences or bills passed. The media will not be able to ignore the plain truths that they have been studiously ignoring for many years.

The anti-Israel crowd is in a panic, and for good reason. It is not because Trump is necessarily pro-Israel. It is because Trump is not afraid to speak out loud what everyone knows deep down. And those truths are what scares the hell out of the people whose entire existence depends on maintaining their anti-Israel narratives in the media and on campus.

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I've discussed two outrageous parts of Abbas' speech on the anniversary of Arafat's death that were ignored by the media.

A third part, where he claims that he knows who murdered Arafat but couldn't release the information (although the answer will "amaze" everyone), was covered in Israeli media.

Here's another part of the speech, where Abbas is rushing to capitalize on UNESCO's saying that the Temple Mount is only Islamic. Even though it acknowledged that Jerusalem is holy to Jews, Abbas goes beyond UNESCO:

As you know, a while ago UNESCO has issued a resolution, and all hell broke loose. The resolution was about history and archaeological sites, and according to it, this area/region – Jerusalem – is an Islamic archaeological site.

Why are they (i.e. the Jews and others] are upset by this resolution? If we want to look back at history, in 1930 there was another resolution about the Al-Buraq Wall. These are international resolutions, and if we do not respect international resolutions, then whose resolutions are we going to respect?

He is referring to the infamous 1930 paper written in the wake of the 1929 riots that declared that the Kotel was Islamic property. The threat of more Muslim violence is what animated that conclusion, just as the desire to coddle Muslim public opinion is what drives UNESCO.

Now Abbas takes these political declarations under the guise of historic research and uses it as proof that Jews have no rights to their holiest spots that have been documented from many, many centuries before Islam.

The entire reason that the Palestinians wanted to join UNESCO is for exactly this purpose - so they can use the organization to deny Jewish rights. And Abbas is doing it, explicitly, today.

Too bad the media can't find a reason to bother translating what their moderate, peace loving hero says to his people, in public.

(h/t Ibn Boutros)

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