UN Agency To Keep Migrants Deported From Israel Stateless Till They Can Return (PreOccupied Territory)

Our weekly column from the humor site PreOccupied Territory. 

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Geneva, January 31 - Officials at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees disclosed today that they are lobbying various governments to support an expansion of the organization's mandate beyond serving Palestinians to include migrant workers who entered Israel illegally and were then deported, plus their descendants, until that, population, too, can be resettled in Israel.

UNRWA Director-General Pierre Krahenbühl told reporters the agency had ambitious plans that go beyond the decades-old mission it has pursued since 1949, and which accords unique treatment to Palestinian refugees in comparison to those fleeing other conflicts: whereas the UN High Commissioner for Refugees focuses on resettlement of refugees outside the conflict zone, UNRWA is charged with maintaining Palestine Refugees as stateless dependents of the international community pending a "return" to homes that no longer exist, in what is now Israel. Krähenbühl explained that treating deported illegal migrants the same way would simply be a logical extension of the organization's existing activities.

As UNRWA faces funding shortfalls amid a diplomatic row between the US and Palestinians, the agency has sought alternative funding sources, and has formulated a strategy to that effect. "Much has been said about the unique, even discriminatory, treatment accorded to Palestine Refugees," he remarked. "But many Palestinians depend on UNRWA not just for education, medical care, and food, but for jobs. Calls to fold UNRWA into UNHCR and have Palestine Refugees treated as other refugees would deprive these millions of Palestinians of their lifeline and birthright. Now, we are aware that no other refugee populations are considered as having a 'birthright' to return to their ancestral lands, and UNHCR doesn't keep them stateless and dependent. It also, unlike UNRWA, doesn't define as a 'refugee' anyone except the persons who fled or were driven from the conflict, and not their descendants in perpetuity."

"But while the idea of folding UNRWA into UNHCR is a non-starter, we have proposed the opposite: give all refugees the same privileges, funding, and promise that UNRWA does for Palestinians, and including deported migrant workers in the definition of 'refugee,'" continued Krähenbühl. "In other words, fold UNHCR into UNRWA. Obviously such an ambitious program will take years to implement, and we have therefore proposed a pilot involving only migrants who entered Israel illegally or who overstayed their visas and were expelled. We can provide for them as we have provided for generations of Palestine Refugees, and I am confident we can count on Jordan, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and other Arab states to provide hospitality for untold generations of this new population of refugees, until such time as they, too, can reenter Israel, as opposed to going where they originally came from, or some third country."

Critics of the proposal noted that funding for such an ambitious expansion of UNRWA remains in the realm of fantasy. "I don't see this lasting beyond the pilot," predicted Ken Roth of Human Rights Watch. "But I'm fine with it that way, actually, because, like BDS, there are some things that you just have to see as universal values but then only insist are important when Israel is involved."

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01/31 Links Pt1: PA TV to kids: "Follow the example" of arch-terrorist Abu Jihad; Why Polls on a Palestinian State Are a Mirage

From Ian:

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PMW: PA TV to kids: "Follow the example" of arch-terrorist Abu Jihad, he is "a symbol"

A new children's program on PA TV called From My Country teaches children that arch-terrorist Abu Jihad, who the PA has bragged was responsible for the murder of at least 125 Israelis, is a role model to be followed.

The opening of the weekly 10 minute program, which has been broadcast twice so far, shows a cube with photos of six different Palestinian personalities. One of them is terrorist Abu Jihad, who orchestrated numerous terror attacks against Israelis, among them the most lethal attack in Israel's history - the Coastal Road Massacre - in which Palestinian terrorists hijacked a bus and murdered 37 civilians, among them 12 children.

Also included among the six personalities promoted to kids is Ghassan Kanafani - a writer and a leader of the terror organization Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).

In each episode, a young PA TV host emphasizes that the program is about "our country," stressing that its beauty "is reflected by great personalities who have given and are giving much to the homeland." Presumably the six people from the opening are among these "great personalities":

Young PA TV host: "Hello my dear friends and welcome to the program From My Country. You certainly know how beautiful our country is: its villages, cities, historical, religious, archaeological, and tourist sites. The most beautiful thing is that all of this beauty of our country is reflected by great personalities who have given and are giving much to the homeland, whether in the political, literary, artistic, or scientific struggle."

Why Polls on a Palestinian State Are a Mirage

The Steinmetz Center asked respondents if they supported a “two-state solution” that would include:

1. A “permanent settlement.” In reality, nobody can guarantee that any settlement would be “permanent.” The Palestinian leader who signs an agreement could be overthrown the next day. Arab leaders are constantly being ousted and replaced by arch-rivals.

2. The agreement would include “demilitarization of the Palestinian state.” This, despite the fact that every Palestinian leader has rejected the idea of demilitarization. Even if they signed such an agreement, what’s the likelihood that they would abide by that? If a “demilitarized” Palestinian state started importing tanks that it claimed were needed for self-defense, Israel would face international condemnation and sanctions if it tried to intervene.

3. There would be “family unification in Israel of 100,000 Palestinian refugees.” Notice the use of the sympathetic term “family unification.” What cruel person would oppose unifying families? More important, the PA’s position has always been that millions of Palestinian “refugees” — not a mere 100,000 — must be allowed to settle in Israel. The 100,000 figure is an illusion that supporters of the Palestinians trot out to try to sell their imaginary deal.

4. “The Palestinian state will fight terror against Israelis.” What a joke. The heart and soul of the Oslo Accords was that the PA would stamp out terrorist groups. Yet here we are, 25 years later, and the PA has never disarmed or outlawed any of the terrorist groups, never extradited any terrorists to Israel, never even expelled terror factions from the PLO, etc. But now, when they have a state, they will suddenly “fight terror?”

So there you have it: The “Palestinian state” that 47 percent of Israeli Jews would favor is a creature of the Steinmetz Center’s imagination. A permanently peaceful, totally demilitarized, terror-fighting Palestinian state that won’t insist on flooding Israel with “refugees.” Who wouldn’t want such a neighbor? Frankly, I’m surprised only 47 percent of Israeli Jews voiced their support.

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Pressuring "both sides" to negotiate

J-Street is backing Elissa Slotkin who is running for Congress in Michigan.

I don't know her detailed policy views, although if J-Street supports her, chances are her views would be at odds with mine.

But I did see an interview with her in Jewish Insider from last July which included this section which sounds like J-Street:

When asked about the Trump administration’s current push to secure the “ultimate deal” between Israelis and Palestinians, Slotkin push for active American involvement, “The only way that this gets done is through strong American leadership. The only way that the two sides even come to the table is if the U.S. with a very strong lead convenes pushes both sides to make forward progress on the issue. But, if the parties are unwilling to come to the table, then unfortunately we are in a number of additional years with the same conflict with the same problems.”

Now, compare what she said with what has been happening the past few months. The US is pushing both sides to come to the table - and it is putting pressure on the Palestinians that has never been put on them before.

Which is what Slotkin wants, right?

I suspect not. When she, and J-Street, say they want the US to take an active role in pushing the sides towards peace talks, they mean to push Israel to accept more compromises. Their "pushing" of Palestinians is more like "if we get more concessions from Israel, will you pretty please consider negotiating then?" to which the Palestinians always answered "No, you need to get a few more."

Slotkin's Twitter account has nothing to say about Jerusalem being the capital of Israel, which seems to mean that even if she agrees with the position, she will not mention it because she wants campaign cash from Democrats and J-Street which are against anything Trump does, even when it makes sense.

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Sorry, anti-Israel women's studies professors: Israel is safer for women than the US and most of Europe

One of the ironies of the anti-Israel movement is how many women's  and gender studies professors are anti-Israel, when Israel is one of the most women-friendly countries on the planet.

Now, a new study shows how safe Israel is for women.

Australia is the world's safest country for a woman, according to analysis by consultancy New World Wealth in its 2018 Global Wealth Migration Review.

"Woman safety is one of the best ways to gauge a country's long term wealth growth potential, with a correlation of 92% between historic wealth growth and woman safety levels," the report says.

"This means that wealth growth is boosted by strong levels of woman safety in a country."

The 10 safest countries for women in 2017 were:
Australia
Malta
Iceland
New Zealand
Canada
Poland
Monaco
Israel
USA
South Korea

The rankings are based on the percentage of each country's female population that has been a victim of a serious crimes over the past year.

Israel is safer than the US - and Western European countries - for women.

Now, why would women's studies professors be so hateful towards a state that treats women better than almost all others? Could it be that they have an agenda that goes beyond women's rights?

I could not find the study online, unfortunately. It would be interesting to see if there is a correlation between women's safety and countries where there is a lower percentage of immigrants from various countries.

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17-year old Ethiopian girl wins Israel's X-Factor

Eden Elena is the 17-year old Ethiopian X-Factor contestant we mentioned earlier this month not only for her singing but also for how the audience reacted to her discussing her background and her commitment to coexistence between Jews, Muslims and Christians.

Last night, she won.



Here is her rendition of "Human" after her victory.



This seems appropriate as it happens shortly before of the annual two-month long "Israel Apartheid Week" slander on college campuses.

All the "Apartheid?" posters can be seen here.

(h/t Yoel)

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01/30 Links Pt2: Arabs are torch-bearers for Nazi anti-Semitism; Ken Livingstone Marks Holocaust Memorial Day Debating Whether It Happened on Press TV

From Ian:

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Arabs are torch-bearers for Nazi anti-Semitism

On the day that the world commemorated the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp, the U.K. liberal newspaper The Guardian declared in an editorial :

“The Arabs, meanwhile, cannot be blamed for feeling that Europe’s blood debt to the Jews was paid with what they see as their territory.”

The Arabs, like other third-world peoples, are only ever seen as victims of Western oppression and colonialism. They cannot themselves be guilty of oppressing others.

The West self-righteously deplores the old European anti-Semitism of the “far right.” But a new Green-Brown-Red anti-Semitism—encouraged by an alliance of the Far Left, the Greens and Islamist sympathizers—is studiously downplayed, ignored by the media, or blamed on Israel.

Truth be told, the virus of Nazi anti-Semitism was exported to the Arab and Muslim world as early as the 1930s. It gave ideological inspiration to Arab nationalist parties like the Ba’athists in Syria and Iraq and paramilitary groups like Young Egypt, founded in 1933. Anti-Jewish conspiracy theories are the central plank of the totalitarian Muslim Brotherhood, founded in Egypt in 1928, and their ideological cousins, Islamic State, who sought to impose Allah’s kingdom on Earth through jihad and forced conversion of non-Muslims.

The Holocaust was, in the words of author Robert Satloff, as much an Arab story as a European. In spite of efforts to trumpet the stories of individual “righteous” Muslims who rescued Jews (particularly in Albania), scholars continue to uncover evidence of Arab sympathy and collaboration with Nazism.

Orthodox Jewish journalist goes undercover in the 'silent jihad'

Tomorrow at 21:00, a new series will be broadcast by News 10's Arab Desk head Tzvi Yehezkeli.

Entitled False Identity, the series is presented by Yehezkeli, who impersonated a Muslim Brotherhood sympathizer seeking to contribute to and join the organization.

Yehezkeli received close consultation from intelligence companies, as well as the Shin Bet internal security agency, and the Mossad. To perfect his identity, he obtained a genuine Syrian passport, a Palestinian Authority passport for backup, and an Internet signature of an active business in Jordan with a website and verification address.

Under the name "Sheikh Abu Hamza", Yehezkeli went equipped with quality photographic equipment disguised in a garment button and camera glasses deep into the state of affairs that he calls the "silent jihad".

Yehezkeli, who has become Torah-observant in recent years, sees added value in the fact that he surveyed the field and encountered Islam as a religious person. "Once a person serves the Creator he becomes more sensitive to forgeries. On the one hand, it helps me know the material and identify with believers, although I disagree with their way. The fact that I'm religious allows me to open my eyes even more, I can't be swayed by this aspect." Yehezkeli also adds that part of his rapprochement with the religious world may have been due to his preoccupation with his coverage: "They opened a door for me to enter in a more real side."

"But Islam needs a deep understanding of itself," says Yehezkeli, and hopes that there will be a reform in Islam as is happening in Saudi Arabia. (h/t Elder of Lobby)

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Plant fruit trees in Israel for Tu B'Shvat

Tonight and tomorrow  is Tu B'Shvat, the traditional New Year for Trees in Jewish teachings.

The Jewish National Fund does some wonderful work with planting trees in Israel - but JNF does not plant fruit trees.

Zo Artzeinu is the place to go to help plant actual fruit trees that can help Israeli farmers make a living.

The farmers in this program follow the Jewish laws involved in planting trees and harvesting fruit, which makes it more difficult.

You can help Israeli farmers by clicking here. 

(This is an affiliate program, so EoZ gets a small percentage of the money sent in.)

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Longing for the sun-drenched land of Zion (Forest Rain)

Imagine being in cold and grey Europe and being told that somewhere, there is a sun-drenched land where everything our people have hoped for will come true. Imagine being weary of persecution, of never being left alone and knowing that there is a land where Jews will again be their own Maccabees.

Shaul Tchernichovsky wrote the song “They say there is a land” in Germany in 1923, before making aliyah to Israel. Its message is still very relevant today.

In Israel Tu B’Shvat is almost here, the trees will begin to bloom while elsewhere it will still be grey and cold. There are still Jews who have never even seen Israel. There are still Jews who need to be reminded that each and every one of us is responsible for being a Maccabee – those few who stood against the many, against all odds and through hard work, perseverance and faith, regained sovereignty in the sun-drenched land of Zion.   

אומרים ישנה ארץ  ארץ שכורת שמש  איה אותה ארץ  איפה אותה שמש  אומרים ישנה ארץ  עמודיה שבעה  שבעה כוכבי לכת  צצים על כל גבעה  איפה אותה ארץ  כוכבי אותה גבעה  מי ינחנו דרך  יגיד לי הנתיבה  כבר עברנו כמה  מדברות וימים  כבר הלכנו כמה  כוחותינו תמים  כיצד זה תעינו  טרם הונח לנו  אותה ארץ שמש  אותה לא מצאנו  ארץ בה יתקיים  אשר כל איש קיווה  נכנס כל הנכנס  פגע בו עקיבא  שלום לך עקיבא  שלום לך רבי  איפה הם הקדושים  איפה המכבי  עונה לו עקיבא  אומר לו הרבי  כל ישראל קדושים  אתה המכבי  אומרים ישנה ארץ  ארץ רוות שמש  איה אותה ארץ  איפה אותה שמש

They say there is a land A sun drenched land Where is that land? Where is that sun? They say there is a land It’s pillars are seven Seven planets Springing up on every hill Where is that land? Where are the stars of that hill? Who will guide us there? Who will tell me the way? We’ve already passed a number of Deserts and oceans We’ve already walked many Our strength is dwindling How have we lost our way That we’ve not yet been left alone That land of sun That we have not yet found The land where shall come to pass What every man has hoped for Everyone who enters Will meet Akiva “Hello to you” Akiva “Hello to you Rabbi” Where are the holy people? Where are the Maccabees? Akiva answers him, The Rabbi answers him, All of [the Nation of] Israel is holy. YOU are the Maccabee They say there is a land A sun drenched land Where is that land? Where is that sun?

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01/30 Links Pt1: Palestinian Blackmail: US Is Our Enemy; Arabs Should Stop Pretending the Palestinian Issue Is an Impediment to Relations with Israel

From Ian:

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Palestinian Blackmail: US Is Our Enemy

The Palestinians' mock trial and "execution" of Trump and Pence gives the Palestinians a green light to target Americans physically. More interesting still is that members of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's ruling Fatah faction participated in the mock trial and "execution" of the US president and the Vice President.

Strikingly, this event took place inside a refugee camp that is run by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA). More precisely, the execution took place outside a school run by UNRWA. Trump and Pence were "hanged" with the UNRWA flag flying atop the school in the background.

The US and other Western countries would do well to take the Palestinian campaign of threats and incitement extremely seriously – and severely counter these threats. Submission to the intimidation will simply result in even more intimidation, more violence and more threats.

Melanie Phillips: Pence, Trump, May and the nation

Please join me here as I discuss with Avi Abelow of Israel Video Network Mike Pence’s Knesset speech, the Jewish attitude to the idea of the nation, the threat to Britain posed by Jeremy Corbyn, Trump at Davos and Theresa May’s woes.

Arab Countries Should Stop Pretending the Palestinian Issue Is an Impediment to Diplomatic Relations with Israel

The improving relations between Israel and many Sunni Arab states—including those like Saudi Arabia with which it does not have formal diplomatic ties—are hardly a secret. But these countries remain reluctant to acknowledge the relations publicly and have shown little interest in actual normalization. While explaining the reluctance, Moshe Yaalon and Leehe Friedman contend that Arab countries would serve both their own interests and those of the Palestinians by dropping their insistence on a solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict as a prerequisite to normal diplomatic relations with Jerusalem.

[T]he pragmatic Arab regimes are wary of being seen publicly as overly keen on normalization before the Israel-Palestinian conflict has been resolved. Their citizens would widely and strongly oppose such a move and perceive it as an abandonment and betrayal of their Palestinian brethren. Even Egypt and Jordan, which have diplomatic relations with Israel and have cooperated quietly but extensively over security and intelligence matters, are careful not to appear too openly conciliatory toward Israel. . . .

What’s more, Iran, in its quest for hegemony in the Middle East, would surely use any sign of rapprochement with Israel to inflame the Palestinian conflict further. . . . The Sunni states, particularly Saudi Arabia, cannot allow themselves to give Iran or Turkey, [which has aligned itself with the Muslim Brotherhood and against the moderate Arab states], any openings to amass political capital in the region. . . .

So far, [however,] conditioning normalization on resolving the conflict has not brought its settlement any closer, and instead has obstructed other moves that would benefit the entire region. . . . The time has come to recognize that treating the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as an obstacle toward normalization is [an] illusion. . . . Today, normalization with Israel in itself serves authentic interests in the pragmatic Arab world. Leaders of these countries understand this, and it has led to closer ties behind the scenes. However, in order to maximize the security, economic, and cultural benefits for all parties, closer ties must become public.

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Today's Arab media antisemitism

Dr.. Ismail Ibrahim writes in Al Ahram Gate on Monday that the Muslims need to unite to defeat the treacherous, evil Jews.

Not Israels - Jews.

While Arab leaders are rushing to make agreements and  peace with the Jews, Israel clings to the Knesset with a painting showing  the area from the Nile to the Euphrates as part of Israel. doesn' t that mean Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and part of Saudi Arabia ?!

This painting is fictional, of course.

Did any of the Arab leaders of the Israeli rulers demand that this painting be removed? Of course not, and the voices still hold on to the strategic option of peace. Every day we relinquish other rights, as will happen in the deal of the century, to which some Arabs and Muslims cheer.

...I do not know how to negotiate with those who have known treachery of the covenants, and the killing of the prophets, and their hands are still dripping with blood, throughout ancient and modern history, they are Jews. There is no difference between the Jews of today and the Jews of yesterday. They say that they are the chosen people of God. But they say that the Lord of Jews orders them to kill and destroy anyone who is not a Jew, and this is not a slander.

In our struggle with the Israeli enemy, and in order to preserve the Islamic sanctities, including Jerusalem, we have no need to turn to the life and mind of Saladin and Saif Qataz. We fight the Jews, and this is inevitable, no matter how deceitful the deceivers are. Only when Muslims raise the flag of Islam...under the unity of Muslims will we find Jews in fear and panic...

This article was linked to on the front page of the Ahram Gate newspaper.

Meanwhile, Asaad Al Azouni writes in Mustaqila that Jewish lobby groups are very dangerous. Among the worst is MEMRI, which dares to translate articles like his into English so everyone can know what Arabs really say to each other. Or, as he puts it, its purpose is "to incite the world against us through deliberate misinformation. "

But also AIPAC, of course  - and J-Street too - are Jewish lobby groups. 

Among the methods of these Jewish groups are false accusations of anti-Semitism. This is impossible, because today's Jews are Khazars from the Caspian Sea today and are not Semites to begin with. They were converted under pressure of their 17th-century [sic] king - but the king didn't convert because he loved Judaism but to escape the Christian and Islamic pressure.

Holocaust deniers are also victims of the false accusation of antisemitism, like Roger Garaudy.

The real problem, we are told, is the Babylonian Talmud, "which is the source of black terror in the world, because it incites crime and murder," which includes such laws as "send your neighbor diseases, and steal from your non-Jewish neighbor and sleep with his wife."

How dare these evil Jews call anyone antisemitic!

Aezzona has written bizarre antisemitic articles in a number of Arab publications, including the claim   ISIS head Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi  is really named Rabbi Elliott Shimon.

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Evil Israels working to provide much more electricity and gas to Gaza. And they help Gaza farmers, too.

The Quartet issued a strategy paper for the next two years, and it talks about initiatives to help Palestinians - with Israel's assistance and cooperation - that the media somehow missed.

Just in the energy sector:

The Gas for Gaza (G4G) initiative facilitates the agreement and construction of a gas pipeline from the Israeli gas network to Gaza. It is led through the formal Task Force platform, which is convened by the OQ [Office of the Quartet.]
Ongoing progress has been achieved since the first Task Force meeting in August 2015, including identification of a route, the start of permitting in the Israeli system and ongoing progress in developing the project’s commercial framework. To support the provision of natural gas to Gaza, the OQ will:
1. Continue to chair the G4G Task Force and work with the parties to facilitate progress, including undertaking necessary studies and coordinating between the parties;
2. Initiate, coordinate and facilitate all project activities including security, technical, financial, legal and political dimensions of the project;
3. Work to secure funding for the infrastructure that is required;
4. Support the planning and permitting processes in Israel and Gaza.
Once completed, the G4G project will not only contribute to a significant increase in domestic generation on a cost-efficient basis, but also enable other critical infrastructure including the Gaza Central Desalination Plant, enable economic growth and development more broadly and importantly will fundamentally improve the quality of life.

And:

The establishment of a high voltage 161 kV line will allow for bulk import of electricity from Israel to Gaza, which will expand the supply of electricity and reduce costs. According to estimates made by the Government of Israel (GoI), this high voltage connection can provide an additional 100 MW of electricity in 3-4 years. However, in the interim, until the electricity from the 161 kV line is available for Gaza, the option of providing an additional 25 MW as a stop-gap measure is being examined. 

Once again, the question is - why is this not reported anywhere?

Meanwhile, Israel is cooperating with the ICRC to allow some Gaza farmers to resume cultivating land closer to the security fence that Israel had turned into no-man's land because of the rocket threat. Israel placed some restrictions, such as no crops taller than 70 cm and no fruit trees that can hide terror activity.

The meme of an Israel hell bent on starving Gazans from food and power is too delicious for reporters to want to counter. Because if  it is true that Israel is working to improve the lives of Palestinians when possible, then, maybe, a lot of the Palestinian problems are self-inflicted. And that is not acceptable to say.

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Three new old Hamas "martyrs". Pass the candy!

Hamas announced three new "martyrs" over the past couple of days, all in the senior demographic.

The first one was this 70 year old Ahmad Aweidah, "who died of an incurable disease." from his photos, it sure seems like he joined Hamas late in life after his diagnosis, so his family can get the benefits of a dead Qassam Brigades martyr.

Also, 60-year old  Jabr Musa Awad al-Harazin died of a heart attack, again prompting Hamas to announce that he is a "martyr" and therefore ready to enter Paradise.

Finally, senior Hamas leader Emad al-Alami, finally died from a gunshot wound to his head, that Hamas claims came from an accident while cleaning his gun three weeks ago. That story is suspicious, to say the least.

Emadi was 62.

May all Hamas members enter their paradise, this year. But paradise needs some younger blood, too.

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Bibi on Jerusalem at Davos (video)

Plain spoken truth that so many refuse to listen to.

"He did a great service for peace because peace can only be based on truth, on reality. And denying the simple fact that Israel's capital is Jerusalem is — pushes peace backward by creating an illusion, a fantasy. You can't build peace on fantasy," Netanyahu told CNN's Fareed Zakaria at Davos.
"The seat of government is in Jerusalem. This has been the case for the 70 years of Israel's existence that we're celebrating now. Jerusalem has been the capital of the Jewish people since the time of King David. That's only 3,000 years ago," he said.
"Under any peace agreement, you know that the capital of Israel will continue to be Jerusalem, and the seat of our government will continue to be in Jerusalem," he continued.

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01/29 Links Pt2: Dani Dayan: Anti-Zionism Is Just Anti-Semitism by Another Name; The role of propaganda in the Holocaust; The Dark Secret of Two-Faced Academics

From Ian:

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Dani Dayan: Anti-Zionism Is Just Anti-Semitism by Another Name

The term anti-Semitism was created in the age of Enlightenment, when the pseudo-science of eugenics laid the seeds of Nazism. The unsubtle racism of neo-Nazis remains a lightning rod for mainstream outrage today, however religious and political hostilities against Jews are often unacknowledged for what they are.

The anti-Judaism of Islamic extremists both in the Middle East and migrant communities is a rising concern, as are the creeping tendencies in some European nations to restrict the rights of their remaining Jewish citizens.

However, it is the increasing acceptance and elevation of anti-Zionists across the world that is cause for particular concern. Those who deny the Jewish people, and only the Jewish people, the right to live in freedom and security in their homeland are routinely paraded as the picture of progressive politics.

When nations like Iran arm their bigotry with ballistic missile programs and powerful proxies like Hezbollah, they can expect acquiescence and appeasement from much of the world.

The inalienable right to self-determination is the one guarantee that Jews can never become victims to genocidal regimes again. Anti-Zionism is an ideology which perpetuates the political oppression of Jews, and by doing so legitimizes and encourages violence in Israel and the Diaspora.

It can be verboten in some circles to call out these activists or dictatorial regimes for their beliefs. Nevertheless, those who seek the political oppression of Jews must not be held to a lower standard of bigotry than their religious or racially motivated counterparts.

Fake News is old news to Jews. Today’s anti-Israel agenda, hailed from college classrooms to the voting chambers of the United Nations, regularly tells of a world in which Solomon’s Temple never stood, Jews were not in Israel and the Middle East for thousands of years, and that Zionists were complicit in the Holocaust.

A son of refuseniks chronicles the slow dissolve of Russia’s Jews

The numbers are telling, he said. There are now about 170,000 Jews in Russia, according to Mark Tolts, a Hebrew University demographer. That’s a tenth of the community’s size in 1989, as counted in the last Soviet census. Factors like an aging population, low birthrate and increased immigration to Israel make Shrayer wonder what the country will look like in 50 years.

“Jewish faces and Jewish names are starting to vanish from the Russian mainstream — from literature, the arts and the entertainment industry, but also from the achievement rolls of science, medicine and the humanities,” he writes.

Has Shrayer overcome his sense of divide with Jews who stay in Russia? As a result of his research, he is both more emotionally connected, but also, paradoxically, more disconnected.

“There’s a feeling of not quite mourning but certainly a feeling of deep sadness. It’s coming from a place that is somewhere deep inside,” he reflected.

It brings Shrayer back to the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center, whose galleries and exhibits shed light on the story of Jews in Russia.

“It’s a great museum,” he said. But in part, it’s a museum of those who stayed, for those who stayed – and for their countrymen. Among the museum’s exhibits, pictured on the jacket of his book, are life-size plaster casts of Jews in period garb — all as white as ghosts.

Shrayer learned recently that the audio recording on the No. 19 tram, as well as the sign on its stop, have been changed and riders now hear and see the full name of the museum. He’s not claiming it’s his doing — that would be extremely chutzpahdik, Shrayer said.

Nonetheless, he added, the correction suggests to him that the story of Russia’s Jews resists closure.

Sundance Movie Review: ‘The Oslo Diaries’

What this film shows, more than anything, is that the people in power on both sides of this long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict were able to come together to reach an agreement despite many obstacles. When the initial documents are signed, protests erupt, and it becomes clear that the battle is not between Israelis and Palestinians but rather between those who want peace and those who don’t, regardless of their national or religious identity. Watching Palestinians place olive branches on Israeli tanks to indicate their desire for peace is inspiring. Learning of the organization of a protest for peace is reminiscent of much of what we see today in American society: people marching for rights rather than against them. In his final interview for the film, Shimon Peres puts its best: “No war is ever finished unless it’s being replaced by peace.”

This film, sadly, is far from the end of the story. Watching Yitzhak Rabin sing the words to “Shir LaShalom” — “Song for Peace”— along with Peres just moments before he was assassinated is especially heartbreaking. Knowing that these events took place more than two decades ago and little has changed is disheartening, and this film serves more as a chronicle of history than any call to action since those involved know that there is no easy solution.

The Oslo Diaries is certainly less controversial than the last documentary filmmakers Mor Loushy and Daniel Sivan brought to Sundance. Censored Voices featured recorded testimonies of Israeli soldiers lamenting their misdeeds during the Six Day War, something that, while seemingly true, was seen as easy fodder for critics of Israel to use to denounce it is an imperialist state with an illegal military. Loushy and Sivan seem determined to continue presenting stories that might not always be warmly received, like Sivan’s recent editing of the disturbing documentary Death in the Terminal, which explores the beating and killing of an innocent Eritrean refugee mistaken for a terrorist after an explosion at a bus station. Extensively featuring Bibi Netanyahu in archive footage in The Oslo Diaries railing against Rabin and then being elected prime minister after his death is far from a subtle message that they believe his government isn’t helping the peace process.

There are many stories to tell about Israel and the conflict in which it remains eternally engulfed, and this spotlight on an unlikely early step forward is an optimistic and detailed one, presented as a meeting of two sides in a middle that for so long couldn’t have existed. It’s informative, affirming, and positive while things are going well, and a reminder that there is a way to see the other side.

Martin Kramer: "You remember the filmmakers Mor Loushy and Daniel Sivan, whose last production was “Censored Voices” (2015)? That was predicated on a lie: an allegation of Israeli military censorship. I exposed the manipulation in an internet article entitled “Who Censored the Six-Day War?” (now available, with notes, in my book “The War on Error,” pp. 225-42). Their new film, “The Oslo Diaries,” has now premiered at Sundance, and HBO just bought it. (I guess they needed something to fill the gap left by their last Israel project, a nixed film by Ari Shavit.) I haven’t seen the new offering, but the reviews make me suspect it’s something other than history. I’ll be watching." (h/t Elder of Lobby)

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Did Israel force the PA to resume electricity to Gaza?

A very interesting portion of an article in Times of Israel by Avi Issacharoff:

Although Gazans tend to blame Israel for their situation, it is actually the Jewish state that seems to be trying to encourage improved economic conditions.

The Palestinian Authority recently decided to renew the electricity supply to Gaza by resuming payments for power generated by Israel (now providing power to homes for six hours, followed by 12 hours of darkness).

But the decision to renew the power supply was not due to a sudden stroke of generosity by the PA. According to sources, it was the result of an ultimatum by Israel: The Jewish state warned the PA that if it didn’t renew payments for the Gaza power bill, the Israeli government would cover the costs with PA tax money it collects. Ramallah understood the message and made a public show of renewing electricity payments.

If true, and this is plausible, it shows again that Israel is more interested in the well being of Gazans than Mahmoud Abbas is.

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