Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

01/18 Links Pt1: The Obama/Kerry Tailwind to Terror; Who’s the Fool on the Middle East?

From Ian:

Evelyn Gordon: The Obama/Kerry Tailwind to Terror

A few weeks ago, the security threat Israel faced from Palestinian terror looked relatively low. But then Barack Obama and John Kerry decided to meddle. The consequences were eminently predictable: They got to enjoy feeling self-righteous, while Israelis and Palestinians pay the price in blood.
Consequently, the PA felt free to ramp its incitement back up to full force. And it did, to deadly effect.
Shortly before the resolution passed, for instance, a Jerusalem Post reporter who asked more than two dozen east Jerusalem Palestinians what they thought of reported plans to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem couldn’t find a single one who cared. But then the PA, bolstered by the resolution and Kerry’s speech, ordered all imams under its control to devote their sermons on Friday, January 6 to why the embassy move was unacceptable and would/could/should lead to violence. After all, the world could hardly object to that. Kerry himself had said exactly the same thing. And on January 8, an east Jerusalem Palestinian carried out the car-ramming that killed four soldiers. His relatives said he did so after hearing a local imam assail the proposed embassy move in his Friday sermon.
But Palestinian incitement isn’t just deadly to Israelis; it’s even deadlier to Palestinians. Whenever violence breaks out, Palestinians always end up with the higher death toll; that’s inevitable, given Israel’s superior weaponry. Unfortunately, that has never yet deterred the Palestinian leadership from fomenting it. Thus, by reassuring the PA that it will face no international consequences for inciting, the Obama/Kerry team guaranteed bloodshed on both sides.
Two and a half years ago, I detailed how another Obama/Kerry effort to promote Israeli-Palestinian peace ended up sparking a war instead. But either they learned nothing from that fiasco, or they simply don’t care how many Israelis and Palestinians die for the sake of enabling them to posture self-righteously on the world stage. After all, they’ll be out of office at the end of the week. Israelis and Palestinians will still be here bleeding.

PMW: Trump responsible for blood in Jerusalem if he moves embassy

When the Palestinian Authority wants to prevent a political action either by Israel or other governments, one PA tactic is to threaten violence. That is precisely what is happening following US President-elect Trump’s pledge to move the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
The following are 25 statements, threats and warnings from official Palestinian Authority and Fatah sources, selected from among many more. These are in addition to the PA threats of religious war and bloodshed that Palestinian Media Watch reported last week.
There has not been this high a concentration of warnings and threats of violence by PA and Fatah officials, since September - October 2015. At that time, the PA and Fatah leadership warned and threatened violence because Israel, they alleged, was defiling and planning to destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The PA’s political goal at that time was to try to prevent visits by Jews to the Temple Mount. That PA incitement, which was subsequently intensified by private social media incitement, sparked many months of Palestinian terror which left over 40 Israelis and hundreds of Palestinians killed.
Trump responsible for blood
The official news agency of the Palestinian Authority, WAFA, warned in a video report that if Trump moves the embassy, he will be responsible for blood spilling in Israel/Jerusalem and the West Bank:

Trump will be responsible for blood spilled in Jerusalem if he moves US embassy warns PA news agency

Trump's UN nominee to slam world body over approach to Israel

US President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be US ambassador to the United Nations will blast the world body over its treatment of Israel at her Senate confirmation hearing, reports claimed on Wednesday, citing a testimony seen by Reuters.
"Nowhere has the UN’s failure been more consistent and more outrageous than in its bias against our close ally Israel," Republican South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley said in the opening remarks for her appearance on Wednesday before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
According to Reuters, Haley's speech also said that "any honest assessment also finds an institution that is often at odds with American national interests and American taxpayers."
Haley's expected remarks arrive at an especially strained period in the relations between the US and Israel, serving as a potential indication to the possible shift in the nature of the rapport between the world power and the Jewish State as US President Barack Obama is expected to officially leave the White House later on Wednesday, with President-elect Trump assuming office this coming Friday.

Ida2at, which appears to be a pro-Palestinian Egyptian intellectual website, decided to publish Joseph Goebbels with essentially no comment except that it "sheds light on the nature of Nazi antisemitism."

The accompanying graphic, shown above, equates the swastika and the Star of David.

It is published in the section of the website called "The Palestinian Cause."

The article includes this:

The Jew has corrupted our race, soiled our morals, undermined our values, and broken our strength. He is the reason we today are the pariah of the whole world. As long as we were German, he was a leper among us. When we forgot our German nature, he triumphed over us and our future.

The Jew is the plastic demon of decay. Where he senses filth and decay, he appears from his hiding place and begins his criminal slaughter of the peoples. He puts on a mask of friendship before those he wants to betray, without the innocent victim noticing that his neck is already broken.

The Jew is uncreative. He produces nothing, he only trades in products. With rags, clothing, pictures, gems, grain, stocks, mining shares, peoples, and states. And everything that he deals in was stolen somewhere and somehow. As long as he is against a state he is a revolutionary; as soon as he has power he preaches peace and order so that he can enjoy his theft.

“The Jew is also a human being.” Certainly. None of us has ever doubted it. We only doubt that he is a decent human being.

The Jew is our greatest misfortune.

This was not a critical essay on Goebbels. There is not one negative word about this article, which in many ways has been mirrored thousands of times in Arabic media. It was an excuse to publish the purest form of antisemitism under the guise of education..

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.

Syrian conference at Hebrew U shows that hate of Israel is truly a mental illness

I've looked at both antisemitism and what I've called misoziony (irrational hatred of Israel) for a long time, and yet I'm still astonished at stories like this (I edited the two stories together):

Syrian opposition figures making a rare public appearance in Israel called Tuesday for stepped up Israeli assistance to the Syrian opposition, including help in establishing a safe zone for rebel elements in southern Syria along the Golan Heights.

Speaking to a packed auditorium at an event sponsored by the Hebrew University’s Truman Institute, Germany-based opposition activist Issam Zeitoun made a blunt appeal for help. “All Syrians have suffered under this regime. Something must be done. The Syrian people are too weak. We need the help of the international community.”

As the conference progressed, several Arab students began yelling at the Syrian speakers and reprimanding them for entering a dialogue with Israel. "The Golan has been occupied since 1967; you're a traitor and a conspirator!" yelled one of the student protestors. Zitun answered the students by saying, "Shame on you; you live in paradise compared to Syrians."

Kajjo and Zeitoun’s remarks were repeatedly interrupted by Arab students angry that they were breaking a taboo and according a kind of recognition to Israel. “You are a disgrace to Syria” one student shouted at Zeitoun.

After a tense few moments, she and another student left the hall, and she said outside.

“They shouldn’t ask for this help from Israel. Our people are dying here, we are Arab.”

But the shouting continued: “You should be giving voices to the voiceless, not pandering to the occupation,” a woman shouted.

Zeitoun defended the appearance. “We should be everywhere including Israel to explain the Syrian problem to the world, to convey their voices,” he said.

These Arabs are complaining that Syrians who are desperate to save thousands of lives and are willing to ask anyone for help are "conspirators" with Israel and "traitors" to Syria.

And these are Arab students who are attending Israeli universities!

Begging Israelis to help save Syrian lives is treacherous - but attending classes at Hebrew University is perfectly fine.

This goes beyond political positions. It is beyond deranged. The irrational, hypocritical hate of Israel and Jews goes way beyond any normal explanation.

It is a psychosis, and it should be studied as such.

Everyone who assumes that these young people are just expressing their considered opinions on a matter are wrong. These students are engaging in a public expression of insanity and hypocrisy that goes so far beyond normal that it can only be described in psychological terms, not as an understandable reaction to reality.

Everyone who has tried to explain historic antisemitism and its more modern version of anti-Zionism has missed the issue. The real answer is that some people simply are consumed with hate that is so pervasive, and so delusional, that it overrides any other human attribute including self-preservation. It cannot be explained any more than schizophrenia can be explained. It may be chemical.

It is time that psychiatrists started to look at the hate shown by anti-Zionists and antisemites from a clinical viewpoint. Because it sure isn't going to be solved with facts, logic, or anything less than full-blown intervention into the sick mental processes of the haters.

(h/t Yoel)

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.

AFP reports:

The main Palestinian parties on Tuesday announced a deal to form a national unity government prior to the holding of elections, after three days of reconciliation talks in Moscow.

"We have reached agreement under which, within 48 hours, we will call on (Palestinian leader) Mahmud Abbas to launch consultations on the creation of a government" of national unity, senior Fatah official Azzam al-Ahmad told a press conference, speaking in Arabic.

After the government is formed, the Palestinians would set up a national council, which would include Palestinians in exile, and hold elections.

"Today the conditions for (such an initiative) are better than ever," said Ahmad.

Palestinian media has not made a big deal over this. They continue to write about how Hamas and Fatah are insulting each other.

This small part of the AFP article might explain why:

The non-official talks in Moscow began on Sunday under Russian auspices with the goal of restoring "the unity of the Palestinian people." Representatives came from Fatah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other factions.

And what was accomplished? "Within 48 hours, we will call on (Palestinian leader) Mahmud Abbas to launch consultations on the creation of a government."

In a couple of days they'll ask Abbas to consider the idea.

In other words, nothing happened - except that Russia is showing how it wants to be more of a player in the region, and the Palestinians are anxious to see that happen on the eve of a Trump administration.

Notably, Islamic Jihad was part of this, and wants to be involved in any unity government. So the mythical unified PA would be dominated by three terror groups, not just two.

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.

J-Street and the BDSers: On the same side on Capitol Hill

I received an email from J-Street:

From: Jeremy Ben-Ami, J Street
Date: Tue, Jan 17, 2017 at 12:17 PM
Subject: Some political news that's actually positive

You may not have seen it on the news, but J Street recently scored an important achievement on Capitol Hill.
...Those who pay close attention to the political conversation around the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the two-state solution noted that something significant took place in the House of Representatives. While a resolution criticizing the Obama administration's abstention at the UN Security Council did pass, many principled Members of Congress protested and refused to support it.
When the bill came up for a vote, 80 Members voted against it, while four voted present.
This is a major shift in the conversation about US policy and what it truly means to be pro-Israel. Before J Street was founded, one-sided, inaccurate and unhelpful resolutions like this one would have passed with near unanimous support.
Those days are over. Increasingly, thanks in part to the work of J Street, Members of Congress know that they have the political space and support to engage in honest and substantive debate about what kind of American leadership is best for securing Israel’s future.

And a very similar email from the "US Campaign for Palestinian Rights," a BDS umbrella group.

Last week, we let you know about an imminent vote in Congress on H.Res.11 to object to the US decision to abstain on UN Security Council Resolution 2334, which reiterates the illegality of Israeli settlements.Hundreds of you called your Representatives urging them to oppose H.Res.11, and your advocacy paid off!
Even though the resolution passed, the 80 votes registered against it was the largest no vote on any Israel resolution since the US Campaign started in 2002. With 342 Representatives voting in favor of Israel’s colonization drive, this might not seem like progress, but believe me, it’s a huge step forward in breaking the nearly unanimous support for Israel on Capitol Hill.

Both of these groups are thrilled that they got 80 members of Congress to vote against the bill. But J-Street claims that they were opposing it because they are pro-Israel, and the Palestinian group says that they were opposing it because they want to see Israel disappear.

If J-Street is "pro-Israel," why are they campaigning for the same things that anti-Israel activists are?

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.

01/17 Links Pt2: Who’s Really Behind the Academic Boycott Against Israel?; The many faces of anti-Semitism

From Ian:

In Secret Recording, Participants at ‘Students for Justice in Palestine’ Conference Heard Attacking America as ‘World’s Greatest Imperial Power’

In a never-before-released recording obtained by The Algemeiner of part of a closed-door anti-Zionist student conference at Virginia’s George Mason University in November, participants are heard accusing the United States — “the world’s greatest imperial power” — of enabling and perpetrating crimes in the Middle East.
The blatant anti-Americanism was voiced at the 2016 National Students for Justice in Palestine (NSJP) conference, during a panel on “Syrian-Palestinian Liberation.” Panelists included Palestinian-Syrian activist Wael Elasady, co-founder of Students United for Palestinian Equal Rights, and International Socialist Movement member Ashley Smith.
In the tape, Elasady is heard blaming US “imperialism” for facilitating the Assad regime’s alleged war crimes in Syria and for causing regional instability, which allows the world to turn a blind eye to Israel’s “ethnic cleansing of Palestine, increas[ing] its Judaization of Jerusalem and expand[ing] its settlements without repercussions.”
Smith said that while he saw the conflict in Syria as a “popular uprising of the people…for democracy, for equality, for a liberation from a tyrannical regime,” he took issue with those on the Left who viewed the struggle purely through the lens of “imposed American imperialism.”
He specifically called out activist journalist Max Blumenthal for “reversing his position” on Syria — first referring to the civil war as a “right of revolt” of the people, and then calling it a “‘color revolution’ orchestrated by the US with the project of regime change.”

Who’s Really Behind the Academic Boycott Against Israel?

The USACBI might protest that they cannot be held responsible for Al-Awda’s racism and support for violence, and it goes without saying that well-meaning supporters of academic boycotts should not be considered guilty by association. Yet the USACBI itself has demonstrated that it is, at minimum, very tolerant of extremism and hate.
Steven Salaita and Jasbir Puar continue to hold prominent positions in the organization, despite being repeatedly exposed for using classic antisemitic slurs to slander and dehumanize Israelis. As a matter of policy, the USACBI boycotts all, “academic activities and projects involving Palestinians and/or other Arabs on one side and Israelis on the other,” unless the Jewish and Israeli side agrees in advance to effectively oppose its own right to self-determination. This is not a stance an organization that is genuinely committed to justice and peace would ever take.
The USACBI cannot claim to support principles like justice, equality and non-violence while gaining significant financial benefits from what can only be described as a hate group. At a time when antisemitism, Islamophobia and other forms of racism increasingly threaten campus life, there is no place for political agendas that fan the flames of hatred and further divide our diverse communities. Al-Awda’s deep involvement in campaigns like the one that was waged against Israeli academics in the MLA is yet another reason why people of conscience should stand up for their values and reject the academic boycott.
The road to peace can only be found through building bridges of understanding and tolerance between peoples, not through further alienation and estrangement. It seems nothing could be more true and relevant in today’s Middle East.

Alan Johnson: Showing up to defend Israel’s right to exist (not lying in bed)

Why am I speaking at an academic conference on Israel’s right to exist at University College Cork (UCC) in March? After all, ‘International Law and the State of Israel: Legitimacy, Exceptionalism and Responsibility’ is the conference cancelled two years ago by Southampton University following protests from the Jewish community.
I am attending because I believe – like Marshall Brickman, Woody Allen’s co-script writer for the Oscar winning film Annie Hall – that ‘showing up is 80 per cent of life.’ Brickman added ‘Sometimes it’s easier to hide home in bed. I’ve done both.’
What does it mean to ‘hide home in bed’ when it comes to defending Israel’s right to exist in today’s intellectual culture? And what does it mean to ‘show up’?
‘Hiding in bed’ can take many forms.
It can mean creating lots of nice warm echo-chambers where Israel’s friends get together, tell each other how right they are, how perfect Israel is, and cheer each other up. Nothing wrong with that. Israel’s friends need to be heard and we all need a bit of cheer sometimes.

"Man of Peace" (poster)

I posted this small sanity check on Mahmoud Abbas on Twitter a couple of days ago.

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.

From “recognizing Palestine” to voting against Israeli “settlements” Europeans are simply feeding the crocodile…

A trend started in Europe in 2014: Parliaments in various European countries began holding “symbolic votes” to “recognize the State of Palestine.”

These votes are symbolic in that they don’t have the power to create a Palestinian State. There is no State called “Palestine” and historically there is no such thing as “Palestinian People.” The invention of the Palestinian people is, on the timeline of history a very new thing and it’s possibly the greatest marketing spin ever (it is certainly proof that if you say the same thing over and over, with enough vehemence, eventually people will believe anything).

The invention of a Palestinian people occurred for the same reason that Israel was twice called Palestine by conquering nations – to break the connection between the Land of Israel and the People of Israel.

The European governments voting to recognize Palestine as a State have said that their goal is to express their displeasure to Israel about the lack of progress in the “peace process” and in resolving the “Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”

The conjunction of these “symbolic votes” with the wave of terror attacks against Israel illuminates their dishonesty.

Teenagers kidnapped and murdered on their way home from school, women and babies murdered while waiting for the busses and trains. Men murdered while praying in a synagogue. People stabbed while shopping for groceries. Police attacked. Public transportation attacked. Kindergartens attacked. Cars attacked. The list goes on and on but maybe, in the European mind, it is logical to blame the victims for the attacks on them – especially if they are Jews.

Winston Churchill, one of the greatest statesmen that ever lived, said “An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.”

I believe this is the true motivation behind these votes. The European countries are feeding their local “crocodiles”, hoping to be eaten last.

It won’t work.

To the Swedes that have declared their recognition of “Palestine” – I declare that I recognize the Free State of Malmo and the other Swedish cities and areas that have submitted to the will of Allah and the growing Islamic State.

To the British that have declared their recognition of “Palestine” – I declare that I recognize the Islamic Emirates of Britain which currently include Birmingham, Bradford, Derby, Dewsbury, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Luton, Manchester, Sheffield, as well as Waltham Forest in northeast London and Tower Hamlets in East London. May you enjoy the freedom of submission to Allah. I will encourage all British women saying, the hijab will give you freedom. The burqa is even better. This way your Muslim brothers will know that you are decent God-fearing women and that it is the kufar that should be raped, not you.

To the French that have declared their recognition of “Palestine” – I declare that I recognize the freedom of the Islamic Zones of France. Paris, Lyons, Marseilles or Toulouse won’t change much under sharia rule, will they?

Sadly, the list goes on. Spain, maybe Belgium next. In the Kuregem district of Brussels, police are forced to patrol the area with two police cars: one car to carry out the patrols and another car to prevent the first car from being attacked. In the Molenbeek district of Brussels, police have been ordered not to drink coffee or eat a sandwich in public during the Islamic month of Ramadan.

In the Netherlands, a Dutch court ordered the government to release to the public a politically incorrect list of 40 “no-go” zones in Holland. The top five Muslim problem neighborhoods are in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Utrecht.

The list goes on and on.

Recognizing Palestine is simply an attempt to appease and deflect local Islamic wrath. Unfortunately for the countries of Europe, putting the focus on Israel and Jews does not halt the creeping sharia that is taking over Europe.

Israel can be fed to the crocodiles but their hunger will not be assuaged.

The truth is, there is no “Israeli-Palestinian conflict”. There is a conflict between Islam and all other religions and cultures. Israel and Jews are a convenient target because we are an island in a sea of Islamic nations. We are close. And our ideals directly appose theirs.

We are an example, not the cause. Placing the blame on us will not “save” anyone else.

Recognizing Palestine will not stop people like “jihadi-John”. Interesting that the British got so worked up over that British beheader and seem to have forgotten that Lee Rigby had his head chopped off in the streets of London, in broad daylight.

Recognizing Palestine will not stop the harassment non-Muslims are experiencing in France, Holland, Norway, Germany… It will not stop the violence against women or the attacks on police.

It will not stop bombings, stabbings and hijackings in the cities of Europe or the heartland of America.

The world has lost its head. Logic has left the building and there is no sign of it ever coming back.

Appeasing the bully never works. Blaming the victims is never right.

The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria is being spread by with bombs, guns and torture. It is much easier in Europe. Little violence is needed to convince Europeans to cede their countries and their culture. Creeping sharia is chomping huge bites out of Europe. Soon the “crocodiles” will swallow it completely.

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.

01/17 Links Pt1: Glick: Trump, the pistol and the olive branch; Phillips: Britain gets it right. Twice. What gives?

From Ian:

Caroline Glick: Trump, the pistol and the olive branch

Trump will take office on Friday. Since he was elected, he has given every reason to believe that Abbas and his deputies and their European and American enablers will have to either put up or shut up.
Speaking of the president-elect, Henry Kissinger said that Trump is the first man in recent memory who doesn’t owe anybody anything for his victory.
The only people he is answerable to are the voters who elected him.
Trump’s electoral victory owes to his success in tapping into the deep reservoir of popular disaffection with the elitist culture and policies that have governed post-Cold War West. He has used the mandate he received from American voters to revisit the basic assumptions that have driven US policies for the past generation.
His skepticism at NATO and the EU are examples of his refusal to simply accept the received wisdom of his predecessors. Just this weekend he told Germany’s Bild magazine that he continues to question the purpose of NATO, which is a drag on US taxpayers and doesn’t fight terrorism.
He similarly restated his ambivalence toward the EU and that its open border policy has been a “catastrophic failure,” and he expects more countries to follow Britain’s lead and exit the EU.
Trump’s position on the PLO and the Palestinian war on Israel is of a piece with his wider rejection of the common wisdom of Western elites. Just as he didn’t hesitate to say that the EU mainly serves as an instrument for Germany to dominate the European market, so he has made no mystery of his rejection of the moral equivalence between Israel and Palestinian terrorists which forms the basis of the twostate formula.
Not only won’t Trump join the Obama administration and the French in criminalizing Israeli homeowners, Trump is celebrating them. He has invited the leaders of Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria – that is, the so-called “settlements” – to attend his inauguration.
And he appears dead serious about moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem.

Melanie Phillips: Britain gets it right. Twice. What gives?

Extraordinary! The British government has started making bold and good moves. No fewer than two such sets of developments have been spotted in as many days.
On Sunday, at the Paris conference called ~~to get the Middle East peace process back on track~~ stick the knife into Israel good and proper before Obama leaves the White House, Theresa May’s government refused to sign its closing statement. “There are risks,” said the UK Foreign Office,“that this conference hardens positions at a time when we need to be encouraging the conditions for peace. We have particular reservations about an international conference intended to advance peace between the parties that does not involve them – indeed which is taking place against the wishes of the Israelis.”
You don’t say.
Not content with that, according to Ha’aretz the UK this afternoon used its veto to prevent the EU Foreign Affairs Council from passing a French resolution adopting the Paris conference conclusions.
Can this really be the same British government that just over three weeks ago not only voted for the infamous Israel-bashing UN Security Council resolution 2334 but helped draft it and push it through? No wonder Ha’aretz called today’s move “highly irregular”.
It would be thoroughly uncharitable to suggest that Britain’s stance at Paris, like Mrs May’s onslaught on US Secretary of State John Kerry’s speech attacking Israel a few days after resolution 2334, happened because she suddenly became aware that it might not be the most brilliant strategy to thoroughly cheese off the incoming, pro-Israel US President. So I won’t.
It would be even more uncharitable to suggest that because President-Elect Donald Trump stated in his interview with The Times (£), published today but conducted last week, that “the UK may have another chance to veto if what I’m hearing is true, because you know you have a meeting as you know, this weekend”, Mrs May promptly fell into line. So I won’t suggest that either.

“Occupied” Territories? Hebrew Origins of Palestinian Arab Towns in Judea-Samaria

With the approval of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334, which declares as illegal any Israeli presence beyond the 1967 “Green Line” — including the Old City of Jerusalem and its Temple Mount (Judaism’s holiest site) and the Mount of Olives cemetery where Jews have been burying their dead for more than 3,000 years– and an earlier UNESCO resolution disassociating the Jewish People from Jerusalem and other holy sites, one wonders how the U.N. and UNESCO ambassadors involved in these decisions can keep a straight face.
Given the recorded history of that land from the Bible and other recognized sources, a well-known phrase from Shakespeare is instructive: “What’s in a name?” When it comes to Eretz Israel, plenty. The place-names verify the absurdity of accusations that Jews are colonizers, strangers to this land and “occupiers of” these areas.
It is equally absurd to claim that the Arabs are the indigenous peoples of Israel, because virtually all the place-names used by local Arabs are non-Arabic in origin, and derived either from biblical Hebrew names or from later Greek or Roman names.
The Romans renamed the entire region Syria-Palestina (named for the Philistines and Assyrians) after they destroyed the Second Temple so as to erase its Jewish roots. This was later shortened to Palestina and it eventually became known as Palestine. As noted scholar Daniel Pipes points out: “Palestine (Arabic: Filastin) as a political unit only came into use as a Zionist triumph when imposed by the British occupiers following the issuance of the Balfour Declaration in 1917. Palestinians (Arabic: Filastiniyun) also came into use only in the twentieth century.” (“Is There A Palestinian People? Can It Be Defeated?” 1-10-17, Middle East Forum blog).

The official Fatah Facebook page shows photos from an arts festival in Tyre, Lebanon last Sunday that celebrated the 52nd anniversary of Fatah's first terror attack.

The speakers said, among other things:

We meet here today in the city of Tyre, the city of rebel martyrs rebels and the Liberals to commemorate the 52nd anniversary of the start of Fatah. We say that the struggle and revolution is not only weapons and fighting but also struggle with the pen, poetry and art in all the revolutionary methods to reach the goal to deliver our truthful ideas to the whole world.

Congratulations to Fatah on the anniversary of its launch, and congratulations to our Palestinian people on the birth of a revolution, a revolution that is still going on to this day. It is manifested today by the Palestinian people resisting the Zionist enemy with the knife; we will kill you with the stone, God willing, and will defeat you, and with reason, culture and art. We are a people worthy of life and you people should go into extinction.

Hail to the heroes, our prisoners in the prisons of the usurper enemy, wishing for the healing of our wounded heroes, and glory and immortality for all the martyrs of a free and Arab Palestine. It is a revolution until victory.

The theater did not seem to be exactly crowded.

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.

Since there are so many experts who are confidently predicting that the Arab world will rise up in intense anger if the US moves the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, I decided (again) to find evidence of this groundswell of anger that will spill over into extreme violence.

Finally, after weeks of searching, I found two protests.

This one in a West Bank city had perhaps 30 lethargic protesters:

And in Gaza, the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Culture organized a protest that still had a pathetic turnout:

Chances are, the earlier protest was also organized by the PA, given the consistency in the flags being flown. Someone clearly organized it.

So there you have it. This is the current state of the "spontaneous" and "angry" protests against the US because this issue is considered such a tinderbox by so many supposed experts who generally have their own agendas. And this is after weeks of warnings and at least two weeks of direct incitement in mosques.

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.

Palestinian media are buzzing about a statement from Hamas leader Ismail Radwan, saying that Hamas was ready to hand over the reigns of the government in Gaza to the Palestinian Authority.

Radwan reportedly said that Hamas is ready to hand over all its government functions and ministries to the government led by PA prime minister Rami Hamdallah, as long as the PA is committed to its responsibilities and duties towards the Gaza Strip and its people, according to previous and unimplemented agreements.

Hamas has been under unprecedented popular pressure over the past week over the lack of electricity in Gaza. Qatar and Turkey have pledged to provide more fuel for the power plant.

It is probably too early to celebrate any "unification."

Palestinian Minister of Labour Mamoun Abu Shahla reacted cautiously, saying he was waiting to see if this was a serious offer and not an empty political statement. He said the PA was waiting for more details to see if Hamas was ready to end "this obnoxious division."

Perhaps the biggest indication that this is not serious is the fact that mainstream Hamas media has not reported this, as far as I can tell.

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.

Zvi compiled this list from this document: (h/t Johannan Edelman for slight corrections)

Who participated in the farce in Paris? Over HALF of the participants (36) are at best supporters of 2334 and at worst virulently anti-Semitic.

GROUP 1: Officially reject Israel's right to exist. No diplomatic relations with Israel. Most are overtly anti-Semitic.

1. Algeria
2. Saudi Arabia
3. Bahrain
4. Bolivia (severed diplomatic relations 2009-10)
5. Djibouti
6. United Arab Emirates
7. Indonesia
8. Iraq
9. Kuwait
10. Lebanon. A failed state whose foreign policy is controlled by Iran, whose official policy is to destroy Israel.
11. Libya. A failed state.
12. Morocco. The occupier of Western Sahara.
13. Mauritania (severed diplomatic relations 2009-10)
14. Oman
15. Qatar
16. Venezuela (severed diplomatic relations 2009-10)
17. Arab League
18. Organization of Islamic Co-operation

GROUP 2: Officially extremely hostile toward Israel, although they maintain embassies or diplomatic missions. Invariably vote to harm Israel and Israelis in every international forum.

1. Egypt (Original sponsor of 2334. Cooperates when it needs help, but not when Israel needs help)
2. Ireland
3. Jordan (cooperates when Jordan needs help, but not when Israel needs help)
4. South Africa
6. Sweden
7. Turkey
8. United Nations

GROUP 3: Supported UNSC 2334. Almost always vote to harm Israel in international forums.

1. Angola (Voted for 2334)
2. China (voted for 2334. Occupier of Tibet. Sponsors Iran & other horrific regimes)
3. France (voted for 2334)
4. Senegal (co-sponsored 2334)
5. Japan (voted for 2334)
6. Russia (voted for 2334. Occupier of the Crimea, S. Ossetia, etc. Sponsors Iran and Syria, & therefore indirectly sponsors Hezbollah and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Recently committed war crimes in Aleppo)
7. Spain (voted for 2334)
8. UK (Voted for 2334. But sent only junior staff to Paris, and pointedly refused to sign "Joint Declaration")
9. Ukraine (Voted for 2334)
10. Uruguay (Voted for 2334)

GROUP 4: John Kerry

1. United States (Sneakily drove 2334. Refused to veto it)

GROUP 5: EU members. Couldn't really stay away. But the UK "and several Balkan countries" blocked the EU from adopting the summit's final declaration (JPOST).

1. Germany
2. Austria
3. Belgium
4. Bulgaria
5. Croatia
6. Cyprus
7. Denmark
8. Estonia
9. Finland
10. Greece
11. Hungary
12. Italy
13. Latvia
14. Lithuania
15. Malta
16. Netherlands
17. Poland
18. Portugal
19. Czech Republic
20. Romania
21. Slovakia
22. Slovenia
23. European Union

GROUP 6: Recently friendly toward Israel

1. Australia ("While the Australian government was represented at the Paris conference this does not mean we agree with every element of the final statement." - FM Julie Bishop )
2. Canada ("Canada must maintain its principled stance on Israel and support our democratic ally, particularly given the fact that no Israeli representative will be in attendance,” Mostyn said. He added even the title of the conference is strange because many conflicts in the Middle East have nothing to do with Israelis or Palestinians.).
3. India (Briefly: still sucking up to the Arabs, trying to gain benefits of friendship with Israel, don't want to have anything to do with Israel-Arab conflict or its resolution. Showed up because they want to look like players.)

GROUP 7: Misc.

Most of these remaining participants reliably vote to harm Israel in every international forum, but they usually smile to Israel's face.

1. Argentina
2. Brazil
3. Chile
4. Kazakhstan
5. Mexico
6. Norway
7. Holy See
8. Switzerland
9. South Korea

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.

01/16 Links Pt2: MLK on Israel - Ari Lesser; Al Jazeera brings Middle Eastern antisemitism to the UK

From Ian:

What Martin Luther King Really Said about the Six-Day War

Supporters of Israel have marshaled two pieces of evidence to demonstrate that the great civil-rights leader shared their commitment to the Jewish state: first, that he was among a number of prominent Christian theologians who signed a strongly worded pro-Israel statement that was published in the New York Times on the eve of the 1967 Arab-Israel war; and, second, that he once rebuked someone in a private conversation, “When people criticize Zionists, they mean Jews. You’re talking anti-Semitism!” Critics of these positions have found sufficient reason to question whether the New York Times statement accurately reflects King’s views, and whether he ever made the second remark at all. Having thoroughly investigated the matter, Martin Kramer concludes that King did in fact equate anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism (although it is unclear whether he had in mind anti-Zionism in general or specific anti-Zionists) but also had regrets about signing the public declaration in support of Israel. From here Kramer offers some general thoughts about King’s positions:
King’s careful maneuvering before, during, and after the Six-Day War demonstrated a much deeper understanding of the Arab-Israeli conflict than critics credit him with possessing. . . . Palestinian-Americans who sought to dismiss the [anti-Zionism] quote suggested that the conflict “was probably not a subject he was well-versed on,” and that his public statements in praise of Israel “surely do not sound like the words of someone familiar with both sides of the story.”
Not so. King had been to the Arab world, had a full grasp of the positions of the sides, and was wary of the possible pitfalls of favoring one over the other. He struck a delicate balance, speaking out or staying silent after careful assessments made in consultation with advisers who had their ears to the ground. .

MLK on Israel - Ari Lesser

A new song from Ari Lesser in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day today and celebrating MLK's embrace of Israel, Zionism, and the Jewish people:

How Zionists Helped Destroy Segregation in Baltimore

After a year when Jewish and African-American relations were strained by the Black Lives Matter’s denunciation of Israel and other uncomfortable incidents, it’s worth recalling a little-known episode that points to the kind of intergroup relations that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. worked so hard to foster.
In the autumn of 1946, Zionist activists known as the Bergson Group sponsored a Broadway play called “A Flag is Born,” which was authored by the Academy Award-winning screenwriter and playwright Ben Hecht. Starring a young Marlon Brando and Yiddish theater luminaries Paul Muni and Celia Adler, “Flag” depicted the plight of Holocaust survivors in post-war Europe, and the fight for Jewish independence in British Mandatory Palestine.
The London Evening Standard expressed horror that large audiences were flocking to what it called “the most virulent anti-British play ever staged in the United States.” American publications took a different view: Time called the play “colorful theater and biting propaganda,” while Life complimented its “wit and wisdom.”
After a successful 10-week run on Broadway, “Flag” was scheduled to be performed in various cities around the country, including the National Theater in Washington, DC. When the Bergson Group realized that the National barred African-Americans from attending, they quickly looked for an alternative venue.

The minister for Jerusalem affairs in the Palestinian Authority, Adnan al-Husseini, said that Israel implemented "policy of ethnic cleansing" against the Arabs in the city.

In a press release issued today he said that " the occupation authorities" deliberately demolished Arab homes to make way for Jews to move in.

He said that the "occupation is aimed at uprooting and expulsion of the largest number of Palestinian citizens from their homes and build more illegal settlements."

How many Jerusalem homes were demolished in 2016? According to the article, 183.

Let's compare that two two recent stories..

In 2015, Israel approved 2,200 new Arab units to be built in the Jabel Mukaber neighborhood in Jerusalem, and retroactively approved the illegal building for 300 other units. Arab leaders complained about it!

In 2016, Israel approved 600 new Arab home units in Beit Safafa.

If Israel is approving far more Arab homes than it is destroying, then "ethnic cleansing" doesn't quite seem accurate.

One would think that there would be one or two English-language reporters for mainstream media, somewhere in Israel, who would do what I just did.

I haven't found them.

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.