Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Tuesday, January 29, 2019

How immoral do you have to be to lie about Birthright?

In the Jewish Journal/Sun Sentinel of Florida, Rabbi Bruce Warshal writes a quite false op-ed about Birthright, under the headline "How morally silent do you have to be for Birthright?"

Two months ago, Birthright began to require that all participants sign a new contract with Birthright in which they agree they will not “coerce, force or suppress opinions, hijack a discussion or create an unwarranted provocation.” Translation: don’t ask anything about Israeli Arabs, the West Bank, Gaza or the Occupation.

How do we know that this is its intent? Six weeks ago, Emily Bloch wrote in the Forward: “On the fifth day of my Birthright trip…I asked our trip leader if the towering concrete wall I could see from my window was the wall that separates the West Bank from Israel. Two hours later, I stood on a street corner in Tel Aviv with two other participants, watching our trip’s bus drive away without us; we were officially kicked off of Birthright.”

She further writes that Birthright indicated that..."for engaging in the most Jewish way possible – asking questions about injustice – I was told that I am not welcome.”

This is an outrageous mischaracterization of what happened, of course. Emily Bloch and her friends had pre-planned to hijack the conversation. They are members of IfNotNow, an organization that is explicitly against Birthright's very existence as a program to instill pride in Jewish youth. In reality, Birthright guides deal honestly and forthrightly with questions about Arabs, although from an Israeli perspective. Dozens of Birthright participants report that they ask questions about Palestinians and Arabs all the time without any incident.

The only issue of morality here is the morality of knowingly lying about the incident and about Birthright.

Surprisingly, the Sun Sentinel doesn't mention that Warshal is a leader of Peace Now, showing that he leads an organization dedicated to hiding any facts about Israel that show it in a good light. He had previously written an op-ed defending BDS.

Warshal isn't the only one to misrepresent Birthright. In December, the Forward and Haaretz were very happy to report the news that there was a "Sharp Decline In Number Of American Jews On Birthright Trips" this season. They gave lots of reasons for this alleged 20%-50% drop, which Warshal mentions as well - American Jewish youth don't care about Israel, they do care about Palestinian perspectives, and lots of other conjectures.

But what they didn't say is that if you add up all the seasons, Birthright had a record year in 2018, with 48,000 participants from abroad visiting Israel on the trips.

“As anticipated, 2018 saw a record volume of participants,”Birthright Israel CEO Gidi Mark said. “The project continues to excite young Jews around the world and participants say the tours are extremely meaningful.”

The people who are so upset over Birthright's supposed "silence" on topics it actually does address are themselves silent over the truth about Birthright as well as over their own affiliation with anti-Birthright organizations.

That is the only moral issue happening here.

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Malaysian actress apologizes for being in a photo with her boyfriend - without a hijab

From the New Straits Times:

Actress Emma Maembong publicly apologises for her intimate photos which went viral today.

In her latest entry on her Instagram, she wrote: "I’d like to apologise to everyone for being careless. It (being photographed without a hijab and in close proximity with a man) was my mistake, not others. Thank you for your advice, and to those who are disappointed and upset with my actions, I sincerely apologise... Thank you for your support too. Love you guys so much. Again, I’m sorry."

The photos showed her sans the headscarf and in a rather intimate position with Syed Abdullah Syed Abdul Rahman, the elder brother of Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq.

In a photo, Emma had her hand over Syed Abdullah’s shoulder, at a dining table, while another, depicted the pair in a room. Emma was sitting in between his legs.

According to a news report today, the photos had been taken sometime last week.

Here are the photos that upset the Malaysians so much (but no too much to avoid sharing them over social media):

The man's brother was the sports minister who claimed that banning Israeli athletes from Malaysia was necessary because of Malaysia's concern for "human rights."

Malaysia does not mandate women wear hijab. Emma Maembong seems to have built her career on being covered, which is why these pictures are so controversial.

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01/28 Links Pt2: Rachel Riley: The Left’s Embrace of Antisemitism; Behind Europe’s Antisemitism ‘Perception Gap’; Telling the truth about Israel is a new Catch-22 situation

From Ian:

Presidential Message on International Holocaust Remembrance Day

On April 27, 1945, a young soldier of the 12th Armored Division of the United States Army wrote these astonishing words to his wife in the United States: “Although I may never talk about what I have witnessed today. I will never forget what I have seen.” Aaron A. Eiferman’s division was moving to a new position near Dachau when they “came across a prison camp.” His historic account, like all subsequent descriptions, lacked the words to adequately convey the horror and the suffering that occurred at Dachau and in the other concentration and death camps of the Holocaust.

The Third Reich, and its collaborators, pursued the complete elimination of the entire Jewish people. Six million Jews were systematically slaughtered in horrific ways. The Nazis also enslaved and murdered Slavs, Roma, gays, people with disabilities, religious leaders, and others who courageously opposed their cruel regime. The brutality of the Holocaust was a crime against men, women, and children. It was a crime against humanity. It was a crime against God.

On International Holocaust Remembrance Day, we hold in our hearts the memory of every man, woman, and child who was abused, tortured, or murdered during the Holocaust. To remember these men and women—those who perished and those who survived—is to strive to prevent such suffering from happening again. Any denial or indifference to the horror of this chapter in the history of humankind diminishes all men and women everywhere and invites repetition of this great evil. We remain committed to the post-Holocaust imperative, “Never Again.” “Never Again” means not only remembering—in a profound and lasting way—the evils of the Holocaust, but it also means remembering the individual men and women in this Nation, and throughout the world, who have devoted their lives to the preservation and security of the Jewish people and to the betterment of all mankind.

Rachel Riley: The Left’s Embrace of Antisemitism

Until she spoke out against the plague of Jew hatred that has infected the British Labor Party of Jeremy Corbyn, Channel 4 game show hostess Rachel Riley was known chiefly for high heels and short skirts. Now, as detailed in a recent address, she is a designated target of the Left

If you told me this time last year that, come January 2019, I’d be standing in Parliament, addressing a room full of people at a Holocaust memorial event, describing the hideous abuse I’ve been receiving daily since I started speaking about the growing problem of antisemitism in the UK, I wouldn’t know where to begin with my incredulity.

My own identity as a Jew has been a confusing one. As I often joke, my mum’s Jewish and my dad’s Man United, and we’ve worshipped far more often at the Theatre of Dreams than I’ve ever been to shul. As a child, I knew not to sing the Jesus bit in the assembly hymns but the bacon sandwiches mum would feed us meant I didn’t quite know where we fit into all of this.

But one part of my Jewish identity, that forms part of my very being, is the deep and irreparable sorrow I feel in relation to the Holocaust.

I’ve always known that having just one Jewish grandparent, in the lifetime of my own Jewish grandparents, was enough for some to feel justified in carrying out unspeakable acts of inhumanity against them, like ripping babies out of mothers’ arms and smashing them against walls.

I visited Auschwitz for the first time in November. Most memorable to me were the videos in the Shoah exhibition of normal looking people in the 1930s – Jews – having fun in swim suits on the beach, playing cricket, enjoying family together, who would soon be reduced to dust.

The enormous mountain of hair, including little girls’ plaits, some blonde, some brunette, tied neatly, presumably by their loving mothers, before they would have to say goodbye forever, with all that would be left of them, cut off to be made into fabric. I’ve never experienced the literal feeling of being emotionally punched in the stomach like I did standing by that display.

Holocaust Denial, Dementia and Israel

International Holocaust Remembrance Day takes place on January 27 every year, on the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau on this day in 1945. Remembering the Holocaust provides us with universal lessons on the depth human evil can reach, and, conversely, the love of life and the heroism of adults and even children who thwarted human barbarity with their own survival.

I think about my dear relatives who were murdered at Sobibor and Auschwitz. They included Poles and Italians, as well as my father's little brothers who, while my father just barely escaped deportation, were killed, and my heart is filled with unbearable pain.

What hurts the most is that in Europe, the mother of genocidal anti-Semitism, its contemporary growth is all too visible. 58% of French Jews and nearly half of the Jews in Germany are worried about physical attacks. The bottom line is that we need to address the memory of the Holocaust in contemporary terms.

Most European schools and universities continue to teach Israel's history as a continuation of European colonialism in which the Palestinians are occupied and exploited by "evil" Jews who practice apartheid or even genocide. Traditional tools against anti-Semitism do not work when the cultural platforms endorse claims that the Palestinians are victims of the Jews.

Iraqi newspaper praises Israel

An Iraqi columnist asks why Iraq can't be more like Israel.

Khudair Tahir writes:

The State of Israel has achieved a political miracle at all levels to the point where it has exported to Europe and America its technology and shares military plans with them.

The miracle of Israel was achieved thanks to honest politicians and heroes who loved their country and sacrificed for it, and presented creative ideas for it and did everything for the purpose of progress.

In 1924, 24 years before the declaration of the establishment of the State of Israel, the Jewish community established a university and a research institute in the present Land of Israel, it established an army and various institutions and it was ready at the moment of the declaration of the establishment of the State of Israel. ...

In Israel, they have achieved a miracle within a miracle. The community has achieved the highest degree of success in teamwork. You find Jewish institutions operating in different parts of the world....We don't hear about disagreements and struggles for leadership and theft of public money.

Another miracle is the Israeli patriotism, which blended religion with politics and employed it to serve the interests of the country. The Israeli reached the peak of feeling of national belonging and sacrifice, imagining the Jews leaving their work and original homeland in Europe and America and joining the army to perform military service and then returning to their native country.

By the way, the daughter of US President Trump is Jewish and persuaded his wife to change her Christian religion to Judaism. Although he is a US citizen, he has traveled to Israel to serve in Israel. He serves as president's adviser several times a day.

The question is: Why did not Iraq produce sovereign national politicians like Israeli politicians?
My personal opinion after seeing the failure of the Iraqis and Arabs residing in Europe, America, Canada and Australia to absorb and digest the civilization .... they have a lack of respect for the law and democracy and public freedoms and their lack of values of sincerity and honor of belonging to these countries to credit them ...

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In a stunning victory for the Divestment, Boycott and Sanctions (DBS) movement against Apartheid Palestine and its partners in the anti-Semitic Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) “movement,” a federal judge threw out attempts by anti-Israel partisans to quash sanctions imposed against their illegal and bigoted project by democratically elected legislators across the United States.

US District Judge Brian Miller made it clear that discrimination, whether against blacks, women, LGBTQIA, or those choosing to do business with the world’s only Jewish state, is discrimination – an illegal activity – not protected speech.

Making clear what anyone involved with fighting bigotry directed against any minority group already knows, the judge pointed out that an organization can “call upon others to boycott Israel, write in support of such boycotts, and engage in picketing and pamphleteering to that effect,” but that this did not mean “its decision to refuse to deal, or to refrain from purchasing certain goods, is protected by the First Amendment.”

This victory preceded by just a few days the unprecedented decision by the International Committee for the Paralympics to pull their upcoming qualifying event from Malaysia after that country’s right-wing government refused to allow Israeli Paralympians to participate in the event.

As stated by the organization, the decision “reinforces the IPC’s [International Paralympic Committee’s] commitment to our fundamental moral and ethical principles that encompass inclusivity of all eligible Para athletes and nations to compete at IPC sanctioned events.”

Just two more examples of how your commitment and efforts are leading to more sweeping successes for DBS!

I thought I’d take a break from measured prose to recount a few recent events in the kind of breathless verbiage made famous in BDS press releases that inflates every tiny (or pretend) victory into world-shattering significance.

The irony is that the real victories noted above are each orders of magnitude greater than anything the BDSers have accomplished in the last decade and a half in the category they consider most significant: sanctions.

Consider for a moment the kind of hyperbole and fireworks that would accompany even one state passing anti-Israel divestment or boycott legislation, not matter how trivial. In fact, you don’t have to imagine it since the boycotters have routinely touted “victories” offered by must smaller political entities such as Somerville MA (where they failed) or local government councils (where victories have been, at most, miniscule or fleeting).

Yet in just the last few years, a majority of US states have passed or floated anti-BDS “sanctions” bills which were passed nearly unanimously by democratically elected bodies (vs. the back-room, last-minute deals the BDSers rely on for their “wins”).

Similarly, the international Paralympics Committee didn’t just slap Malaysia on the wrist or find some common ground between their principles and Malaysia’s anti-Semitic policy, but instead refused to allow their event to continue if it was to be marred by anti-Israel bigotry.

Three lessons we can draw from these events and the contrast in coverage of pro- and anti-BDS votes and measures include:

(1) Honest and sensible people still understand the difference between virtuous principles like free speech and the fight against discrimination, and those who engage in bigotry while claiming the mantle of anti-racism

(2) There are ways to present events that make us look defensive (by stressing, for example, our opponent’s free-speech arguments against anti-boycott legislation) vs. casting these same events in terms that put opponents in the dock (by calling them successful sanctions by democratically elected bodies against racists and right-wingers, for example).

(3) That the Israel haters are playing a long game that can absorb these sorts of setbacks, a strategy I’ll discuss more next time…

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01/28 Links Pt1: The Palestinian Jihad Against Peace; Getting Smart about America's Middle East Policy; Netanyahu: 'I will never uproot settlements' in a peace deal

From Ian:

The Palestinian Jihad Against Peace

Mohammed Shtayyeh, another senior Fatah official and former member of the Palestinian negotiating team with Israel, said that the Palestinians were frustrated and saddened by the normalization of relations between the Arabs and Israel. In an interview with the Palestinian Authority's Voice of Palestine radio station, Shtayyeh attributed the apparent rapprochement between Israel and some Arabs to the "state of decline" in the Arab and Islamic countries.

Three Palestinian groups — the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), and Hamas — have also called on the Arabs to resist any attempt by their leaders to make peace with Israel, and said that the time has come to take "serious measures to confront the dangers of normalization with Israel."

Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah also joined the chorus, by urging the Arabs to refrain from any form of normalization with Israel. In a speech before an Arab economic conference in Lebanon on January 20, Hamdallah said that Arab normalization with Israel should not happen before the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, with east Jerusalem as its capital, on the pre-1967 lines. He called on all Arab institutions and companies to abide by Arab League instructions to boycott Israel.

It is, at the very least, pure hypocrisy for the Palestinian Authority and its leaders to demand that Arabs boycott Israel when they themselves are speaking and working with Israel. The same Hamdallah who is calling on Arabs to boycott Israel, holds regular meetings with Israeli Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon in Jerusalem. Another Palestinian minister who holds regular meetings with Israeli officials is Hussein al-Sheikh, who is also a senior Fatah official.

The Palestinian strategy is now based on inciting Arabs against their leaders. This is the message that Abbas and his officials are sending to the Arabs: "You need to join us in our campaign to stop Arab leaders from making peace with Israel. You must condemn any leader who seeks normalization with Israel as a traitor."

The Palestinians' "anti-normalization" campaign is also part of their effort to thwart Trump's "deal of the century," which, according to some reports, will call for normalization between the Arabs and Israel. The Palestinians say that they are determined to foil Trump's unseen peace plan and its attempt to normalize relations between the Arab countries and Israel. This, then, is what Palestinian "diplomacy" boils down to these days: foiling peace plans and Israeli-Arab normalization. That is what happens when Mahmoud Abbas and his officials have nothing good to offer their people. It now remains to be seen whether the Arab countries will surrender to the latest campaign of Palestinian incitement and intimidation.

Ben-Dror Yemini: The new Arab boycott

A major economic conference was supposed to take place last week. There was no international clamor, there were no demonstrations on campuses, the BDS anti-Israel brigade were nowhere in sight, but the conference still failed due to a boycott.

Surprisingly, this wasn't a conference that was supposed to be held in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem—it was the Fourth Arab Economic and Social Development Summit, held in Beirut and boycotted by the leaders of the Arab countries, with the exception of Qatar and Mauritania.

Is the Arab world boycotting Lebanon? Officially, no. In practice, yes. Like so many problems in the Middle East, Iran was the reason this time as well. Lebanon could have been the most prosperous country in the Arab world, wrote Abdulrahman al-Rashed, former editor of the Asharq Al-Awsat daily and current director-general of Al-Arabiya, but that will never happen because Iran controls Lebanon.

Al-Rashed wrote: "The region is experiencing a series of crises, whose common denominator is a connection to Iran. Unfortunately Lebanon will not be stable, the Palestinians will achieve neither statehood nor normal life, in Yemen, Iraq and Syria there is no hope for a better future for as long as Iran continues with its policy of causing chaos there," he said.

As opposed to former US president Jimmy Carter and Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom, who subscribe to the belief that everything wrong in the region is down to "the oppression of the Palestinians by Israel," courageous elements in the Arab world, such as al-Rashid, are pointing the finger at Iran.

Dr. Mordechai Kedar: The Palestinian Civil War

The tension between the Palestinian Authority and the Hamas Organization in Gaza is approaching the boiling point, as a result of several factors:

The dire economic situation in Gaza, the unbridgeable chasm between Hamas and Fatah's outlook, a stalemate in Israel-PLO negotiations, the postponement of any attempts at progress between Israel and the Palestinians during the election period, the approaching date for announcing the US government's "deal of the century" - and the constant leaks about its content - the strengthening of relations between Israel and several Arab states and, of course, the lack of any chance on the political horizon that Israel will pack its bags and return to the 1949 lines.

Hamas is in financial straits because its flow of Iranian support has dried up as a result of the economic sanctions on Iran, while the economic crisis in Turkey casts a shadow on Sultan Erdogan's proteges, the heads of Hamas in Gaza. Hamas members in Judea and Samaria are being hunted down by Israeli and PA security forces, who work hand in hand 24/7 against the terror organization.

The article I have brought below (in translation), with my clarifications in parentheses, appeared on a pro-Hamas site n early January 2019.

What lies behind Mahmoud Abbas' hysteria

Kuwaiti refuses to compete against Israeli in jiu jitsu tournament in California, hailed as hero by BDS

Kuwaiti jiu jitsu champion Abdullah Al Anjari has been very public on social media about his decision on Saturday to drop out of a jiu jitsu tournament in Los Angeles.

He's being hailed as a "hero" in Kuwaiti media and by the BDS Arabic account. As of this writing, I have not seen any other coverage of this story.

I also cannot find the bracket that he reproduces here. The Los Angeles championships aren't until March and I didn't see them issue any brackets.

As far as I can tell, the IBJFF does not have any written rules about penalizing athletes who refuse to compete. But it might be worth Tweeting them about this.

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The defensible borders of Israel according to the US Joint Chiefs of Staff in 1967 (memo and map)

Here is a memo written by the US Joint Chiefs of Staff after the Six Day War where they describe which territory Israel must retain for peace. It was declassified in 1979.

It is sort of amazing that this document has not received more publicity. There was an article detailing the full text in the Journal of Palestine Studies and Wall Street Journal had an article about this memo in 1983.

The recommendations included keeping most of the West Bank, all the Golan Heights, all of Gaza and only limited amounts of the Sinai (all assuming the Arab nations remain enemies, of course.)

JCSM-373-67
29 JUN 1967
1. Reference is made to your memorandum, dated 19 June 1967, subject as above, which requested the views of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, without regard to political factors, on the minimum territory, in addition to that held on 4 June 1967, Israel might be justified in retaining in order to permit a more effective defense against possible conventional Arab attack and terrorist raids.

2. From a strictly military point of view, Israel would require the retention of some captured territory in order to provide militarily defensible borders. Determination of territory to be retained should be based on accepted tactical principles such as control of commanding terrain, use of natural obstacles, elimination of enemy held salients, and provision of defense in depth for important facilities and installations. More detailed discussions of the key border areas mentioned in the reference are contained in the Appendix hereto. In summary, the views of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff regarding these areas are as follows:

a. The Jordanian West Bank. Control of the prominent high ground running north-south through the middle of West Jordan generally east of the main north-south highway along the axis Jenin-Nablus-Bira-Jerusalem and then southeast to a junction with the Dead Sea at the Wadi el Daraja would provide Israel with a militarily defensible border. The envisioned defensive line would run just east of Jerusalem; however, provision could be made for internationalization of the city without significant detriment to Israel's defensive posture.

b. Syrian Territory Contiguous to Israel. Israel is particularly sensitive to the prevalence of terrorist raids and border incidents in this area. The presently occupied territory, the high ground running generally north-south on a line with Qunaitra about 15 miles inside the Syrian border, would give Israel control of the terrain which Syria has used effectively in harassing the border area.

c. The Jerusalem-Latrun Area. See subparagraph 2a, above.

d. The Gaza Strip. By occupying the Gaza Strip, Israel would trade approximately 45 miles of hostile border for eight. Configured as it is, the strip serves as a salient for introduction of Arab subversion and terrorism, and its retention would be to Israel's military advantage.

e. The Negev-Sinai Border. Except for retention of the demilitarized zone around Al Awja and some territory for the protection of the port of Eilat, discussed below, continued occupation of the Sinai would present Israel with problems outweighing any military gains.

f. The Negev-Jordan-Aqaba-Strait of Tiran Area. Israel's objectives here would be innocent passage through the Gulf of Aqaba and protection of its port of Eilat. Israel could occupy Sharm ash-Shaykh with considerable inconvenience but could rely on some form of internationalization to secure free access to the gulf. Failing this, Israel would require key terrain in the Sinai to protect its use of the Strait of Tiran. Eilat, situated at the apex of Israel's narrow southern tip, is vulnerable to direct ground action from Egyptian territory. Israel would lessen the threat by retention of a portion of the Sinai Peninsula south and east of the Wadi el Gerafi then east to an intersection with the Gulf of Aqaba at approximately 29^20' north latitude.

3. It is emphasized that the above conclusions, in accordance with your terms of reference, are based solely on military considerations from the Israeli point of view.
For the Joint Chiefs of Staff:
Signed Earle G. Wheeler
Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff

Here is the part of the Appendix relevant to the areas in Judea and Samaria:

b. Requirement. A boundary along the commanding terrain overlooking the Jordan River from the west could provide a shorter defense line. However, as a minimum, Israel would need a defense line generally along the axis Bardala-Tubas-Nablus-Bira-Jerusalem and then to the northern part of the Dead Sea. This line would widen the narrow portion of Israel and provide additional terrain for the defense of Tel Aviv. It would provide additional buffer for the air base at Beersheba. In addition, this line would give a portion of the foothills to Israel and avoid interdiction by artillery in the Israeli villages in the lowlands. This line would also provide a shorter defense line than the border of 4 June 1967 and would reduce the Jordanian salient into Israel. It also provides adequate lines of communications for lateral movement.

Here is the map showing what that US defense experts felt Israel would need to maintain its defensive capabilities. Notice that the line is to the east even of today's Ariel.

It is likely that this map is what the Americans had in mind when UNSC Resolution 242 was drafted, which insisted that Israel must be in "secure and recognized boundaries."

(h/t Irene)

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The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center has examined the names of every person killed in the Gaza "return marches" every Friday since last March.

The results are nothing short of remarkable.

The events of the “return marches” in the Gaza Strip have continued for 42 weeks. In most cases, these events are characterized by a high level of violence, resulting in casualties among the rioters, mainly among those in the front line confronting the IDF troops. According to the ITIC’s examination, based on reports of the Gaza Strip Ministry of Health in combination with other sources, since the beginning of the “return marches” on March 30, 2018, a total of 187 Palestinians were killed in those events. As for the identity of the fatalities (updated to January 16, 2019), 150 of them were found to be affiliated with Hamas or with other terrorist organizations (about 80%). Prominent among the fatalities are those belonging to Hamas or affiliated with it (96 fatalities, about 51% of the total number of fatalities). A total of 45 fatalities are operatives of the Hamas military wing (about 24% of the total number of fatalities, about 47% of the total of the Hamas fatalities).
...
The large number of fatalities from the terrorist organizations on the front line demonstrates that the violence against the IDF near the border is not “popular,” as the false Palestinian propaganda wishes to convey. It is orchestrated by Hamas and significantly involves operatives of Hamas’s military wing or operatives affiliated with Hamas. It also shows that the IDF soldiers do not shoot indiscriminately at “innocent” demonstrators but instead, in most cases, target and hit specific terrorist operatives. It should be noted that the Gaza Strip Health Ministry, whose reports are used as a source for media outlets worldwide (as well as in Israel), does not provide information on the organizational affiliation of the fatalities, thus helping to convey a false idea of killing “innocent” demonstrators by the IDF.

Hamas is encouraging civilians to charge the fence and to be in the line of any Israeli bullets - and even so, Israel has managed an incredible rate of 80% terrorists killed - in fields where the majority of people are civilians who are bused in by Hamas to enjoy the demonstrations.

The Meir Amit Center keeps track of the identities and affiliations of all the dead, based on information from funerals, terrorist websites and other sources.

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Know How to Answer, part 20: "Israel is not a democracy because Palestinians cannot vote"

Latest in the series...

Six years ago I gave a lecture at Yeshiva University on how to answer anti-Israel arguments. Since the lecture was over an hour and twenty minutes, I decided to break it up into 20 sections, one each to answer one popular anti-Israel argument.

Here is part 20.

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01/27 Links: PA Antisemitism alive and kicking on International Holocaust Remembrance Day; Poll: One in 20 British adults doesn’t believe Holocaust happened

From Ian:

One in 20 British adults doesn’t believe Holocaust happened, poll finds

A poll released to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day has found that 1 in 20 British adults does not believe the Holocaust happened and 12 percent think the scale of the genocide has been exaggerated.

Nearly half of those questioned said they did not know how many Jews were murdered by the Nazis, The Guardian reported, and one in five people thought fewer than two million Jews were killed. Some six million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust.

Olivia Marks-Woldman from the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, which commissioned the poll, responded to the findings, telling the BBC: “Such widespread ignorance and even denial is shocking.

“Without a basic understanding of this recent history, we are in danger of failing to learn where a lack of respect for difference and hostility to others can ultimately lead.”

In a statement to The Guardian, Marks-Woldman clarified that, “I must stress that I don’t think [the poll respondents] are active Holocaust deniers — people who deliberately propagate and disseminate vile distortions. But their ignorance means they are susceptible to myths and distortions.”

P.I.-turned Nazi hunter blames passive Jewish leaders for the 99.9% who got away

Rambam has come to realize that “[Nazis] had a 99.9 percent chance of dying in their bed. No prosecution, exposure, no so-called hunting.”

After he’d seek out people who had committed murder with their own hands, his biggest shock was how unafraid they were. They were not concerned, and were certain they had nothing to fear, that nobody was going to bother them, Rambam said.

“The vast majority of these war criminals were true believers,” he said.

That included Antanas Ceponis, who had a picture of Hitler on his fridge. Rambam took a photo of him posing with his rifle next to the photo in his Ceponis’s Toronto area home.

“No shame, no fear. He confessed, talked about chasing and shooting Jews,” he said.

The result? Authorities seized the rifle.

Rambam believes significant blame for the lack of prosecution falls on the Jewish establishment who failed their moral responsibility. He said the Jewish leadership was beyond livid with him at exposing their passivity with these embarrassing revelations.

“There’s no reason why these Nazis couldn’t have been found and pursued. I proved that,” he claimed.

Seth Frantzman: When Ethiopian Jews tried to save European Jews from the Holocaust

In August 1943, the height of the Holocaust, Ethiopian Jewish leaders approached the Emperor of Ethiopia with a daring proposal. They asked Haile Selassie to help Jews in Europe flee to Ethiopia and assist Jewish refugees by hosting them in Ethiopian Jewish villages.

Three months after the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and two months after all four of the Auschwitz crematoria were functioning, the Palestine Post, ancestor of today’s Jerusalem Post, published an article detailing Jewish immigration to Ethiopia. “Possibilities of Jewish immigration into Abyssinia were discussed by the Ethiopian Minister in London with Mr. Harry Goodman and Dr. Springer of Agudath Israel,” the August 8, 1943 article says. “A leading member of the Falasha (black Jewish) community expressed the desire to assist European Jewry and to welcome them in Falasha towns.” Falasha was the term used to describe Jews in Ethiopia at the time.

Discussions were ongoing in Addis Ababa where the emperor, who had returned to Ethiopia in May 1941 after it was liberated from Italian occupation with British help, was showing support for the plan. 1,500 Greek refugees, including Greek Jews, had arrived in Ethiopia in 1943, the article says. Emperor Selassie had stayed at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem in 1936 and was familiar with the Jewish minority in his country. Selassie also worked closely with Orde Wingate, the British officer who was a passionate Zionist and who led Gideon Force which helped defeat the Italians in Ethiopia. Ethiopian leaders and the Ethiopian Jewish community were therefore familiar with the local Jewish community and the plight of Jews worldwide at the time.

Ethiopian Jews suffered under the Italian occupation but by 1943 they were able to reach out to the emperor to suggest hosting Jews fleeing Europe. By that time it was too late for many of the Jews of Europe ensnared in the Nazi noose. The full story of the 1943 effort to convince Ethiopia to re-settle Jews fleeing Europe has not been researched and details about it remain unknown. For instance Harry Goodman, who is mentioned in the article, was a well known member of the Orthodox Agudath Israel World Organization. He published articles in the Jewish Weekly and broadcast messages to Jews in Nazi-occupied Europe.

Joke of the day: Malaysia defends banning Israeli athletes because of "human rights"

From Star Online (Malaysia):

Malaysia prioritises human rights, says Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman.

That is the stand taken by the Youth and Sports Minister after the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) stripped Malaysia of the right to host the 2019 World Para Swimming Championships.

He said that if hosting an international sporting event is more important than standing up for Palestinians, that means Malaysia has truly lost its moral compass.

"We would like to kindly remind the IPC that even Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have reported that the (Israeli prime minister Benjamin) Netanyahu government is an active perpetrator of war crimes.

"As the leader of Israel, he represents the collective will of the Israeli government. The Israeli state is the locus of their collective moral actions.

"Malaysia stands firmly with our decision on the ground of humanity and compassion for the Palestinian plight. We will not compromise," he said in a statement issued to the press on Sunday (Jan 27).

Since Rahman likes to quote Amnesty on the topic of human rights, here's what it says about Malaysia:

Freedom of expression
The government continued to harass, detain and prosecute critics through the use of restrictive laws such as the Sedition Act and the Communications and Multimedia Act....

Freedom of movement
In July, the Court of Appeal ruled that the government has absolute discretion to bar any citizen from travelling abroad without needing to provide a reason. This ruling facilitated continued violations of the right to freedom of movement and the work of human rights defenders...

Freedoms of association and assembly
Human rights defenders and opposition parliamentarians continued to stand trial for participating in peaceful protests. ...

Indigenous Peoples’ rights
In January, following peaceful protests against logging licences granted by local authorities, 21 Indigenous human rights defenders from the Temiar people in the northern state of Kelantan were detained. Two journalists were also arrested. ....

Arbitrary arrests and detentions
Preventive detention laws such as the Prevention of Terrorism Act and Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (SOSMA) continued to be used to detain, prosecute and imprison people alleged to have committed security offences. ....

On 26 April, the Kuala Lumpur High Court sentenced Siti Noor Aishah to five years’ imprisonment for possession of 12 books, under a sweeping provision of the SOSMA prohibiting the possession, custody or control of any item associated with any terrorist group or the commission of a terrorist act. The books owned by Siti Noor Aishah had not been banned, which raised further concerns about the arbitrary nature of the law and the way it was applied.

Police and security forces
Impunity for deaths in custody and excessive use of force and firearms persisted. There were at least five deaths in custody during the year. ...

Death penalty
The death penalty continued to be retained as the mandatory punishment for offences including drug trafficking, murder and discharge of firearms with intent to kill or harm in certain circumstances....

Rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people
Discrimination against LGBTI people continued both in law and practice. Section 377A of the Penal Code criminalizes consensual sexual relations between adult men.

Apparently Malaysia's concern for human rights doesn't extend to its own citizens.

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In Palestinian news site Sama News, writer Khudair Abu Tammam discusses the Holocaust on the occasion of International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

The first part of the article is mostly accurate, discussing specific atrocities done against Jews during the Holocaust, mentioning Kristallnacht, Josef Mengele's inhumane experiments and early German attempts to mass murder Jews before building the gas chambers.

Even in that section of the article, Tammam mentions the Roma, mentally disabled and others victimized by the Germans, and asks, "why was it historically called the massacre of the Jews despite the presence of hundreds of thousands of non-Jewish dead?"

Tammam then tries to minimize the German role in the Holocaust, saying, "Contrary to what is commonly thought, the Germans were not the only ones who participated in the organization of the Holocaust. Other countries, including Italy, Croatia, Hungary and Bulgaria, contributed to the extermination camps, and history doesn't know if Hitler was responsible for the genocide."

Then he ends off by saying, "Finally, I will quote some of the views that cast doubt on the figures of the Jews killed in the genocide." He then goes through the views of famous Holocaust deniers like David Irving.

The article ends by saying there are "many opinions" on the matter.

This is another form of Holocaust denial. By casting doubt on perhaps the most well-documented atrocity in human history, the author pretends to be open to all opinions but in fact is amplifying provable lies. He is giving his audience a reason to doubt, not a reason to learn about it.

The Holocaust is, of course, not taught in Palestinian schools, and when UNRWA floated the idea of adding it to the curriculum some years back there was a huge backlash. Because by teaching Palestinian Arabs that Jews are human beings and victims, Palestinians cannot teach their kids to hate Jews as easily.

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The International Paralympic Committee (IPC), in its meeting in London that started last week, has announced that it will not hold the Para Swimming competition in Malaysia this summer after that country said that it would not allow any Israeli athletes to compete.

In a statement just released, the IPC said the decision was made, "after the Home Ministry of Malaysia failed to provide the necessary guarantees that Israeli Para swimmers could participate, free from discrimination, and safely in the Championships."

Notably, the IPC also insisted that Malaysia not only allow the Israelis to compete but also to allow them to show the Israeli flag, and play its national anthem if Israeli athletes win.

Andrew Parsons, IPC President, said: “All World Championships must be open to all eligible athletes and nations to compete safely and free from discrimination. When a host country excludes athletes from a particular nation, for political reasons, then we have absolutely no alternative but to look for a new Championships host.

“The Paralympic Movement has, and always will be, motivated by a desire to drive inclusion, not exclusion. Regardless of the countries involved in this matter, the IPC would take the same decision again if it was to face a similar situation involving different countries.

“In September 2017 when the IPC signed the contract with the Paralympic Council of Malaysia (NPC Malaysia) to host the World Para Swimming Championships, we had assurances that all eligible athletes and countries would be allowed to participate in the event with their safety assured.

“Since then, there has been a change of political leadership and the new Malaysian government has different ideas. Politics and sport are never a good mix and we are disappointed that Israeli athletes would not have been allowed to compete in Malaysia.

“As a result of the Board’s decision today, we are now looking for a new host for this vital World Championships, which acts as a qualifier for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. We will strive to maintain the same dates and conditions for the Championships as to not upset the training schedules of athletes who aim to peak for the end of July and early August. However, we may need to be flexible in this area bearing in mind the circumstances we face.”

Chelsey Gotell, Chairperson of the IPC Athletes’ Council, added: “Not only does this decision stress the importance of keeping sport and politics separate, but it also reinforces the IPC's commitment to our fundamental moral and ethical principles that encompass inclusivity of all eligible Para athletes and nations to compete at IPC sanctioned events.”

Around 600 swimmers from 60 nations were anticipated to take part in Kuching.

The IPC is looking for alternate hosts for the games, asking any countries that are interested in responding with proposals within two weeks, by February 11.

I hope that the IPC also sues the nation of Malaysia for the money it spent on the games, and to reimburse the athletes who have bought tickets and hotel reservations.

This is excellent news, and this decision will not only cement the decisions about future Paralympics games but it will also influence other sports to do the right thing and avoid any events in countries that discriminate against Israelis, or anyone.

Bravo, IPC!

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01/26 Links: Former Israeli War Colleges Commander: ‘Without Judea and Samaria, Israel Cannot Defend Tel Aviv’; Democrats Ducking Vote on Rejecting Anti-Semitism

From Ian:

Caroline Glick: EXCLUSIVE - Former Israeli War Colleges Commander: ‘Without Judea and Samaria, Israel Cannot Defend Tel Aviv’

President Donald Trump’s negotiating team may unveil its “deal of the century” peace plan for Israel and the Palestinians soon after Israel’s April 9 elections.

Gershon Hacohen, a recently retired Israeli major general and former commander of Israel’s war colleges, now serves as a senior researcher at Bar Ilan University’s Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Affairs, where he writes prolifically on the military significance of Israel’s relations with the Palestinians.

Hacohen is considered one of Israel’s most brilliant strategists. He is also something of a voice in the wilderness among his fellow generals, who almost unanimously identify with the left side of the political and ideological spectrum.

In light of the various media reports that have surfaced over the past year about the contours of the Trump plan, Hacohen has deep reservations about the plausibility of the American efforts.

This week, Hacohen published a major study in Hebrew, which received frontpage coverage in the Hebrew media in Israel. In it, Hacohen analyzed the military implications for Israel of a possible Israeli withdrawal from Judea and Samaria – otherwise known as the West Bank – in any deal with the Palestinians.

In his report, titled, “A Withdrawal from Area C of Judea and Samaria is an Existential Threat,” Hacohen argued that Israel cannot afford to withdraw from any territory in Judea and Samaria.

Breitbart News spoke with Hacohen to discuss his paper and what its implications are for the Trump administration as it prepares to unveil its peace plan.

Cotton Praises Judge in Israel Boycott Case: He ‘Acknowledged the Obvious’

Senator Tom Cotton (R., Ark.) praised a federal district judge's ruling Friday, after the judge upheld an anti-discrimination law as consistent with the First Amendment.

The Arkansas Times, a weekly paper based in Little Rock, argued that it could sell advertising space to public entities without certifying the Times was not boycotting Israel. It claimed mandating a certification abrogated its First and Fourteenth Amendment rights.

Arkansas' general assembly passed Act 710 in 2017, which allows the state government to contract only with companies that do not boycott Israel. It prohibits the government to work with companies "engaging in refusals to deal, terminating business activities, or other actions that are intended to limit commercial relations with Israel, or persons or entities doing business in Israel or in Israeli-controlled territories, in a discriminatory manner."

The bill follows several years of increasing pressure from anti-Israel activists for companies to support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. Political efforts, including BDS, target Israeli organizations and companies doing business in Israel in an effort to erode support for the state of Israel and pressure the Israeli government to change its policies.

Cotton described Act 710 as a bulwark against efforts by "Israel's foes." He explained that, pursuant to the law, "Government contractors in Arkansas are required to certify they will not participate in the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement designed by Israel’s foes, or else face consequences." More than half of American states have passed laws opposing anti-Israel boycotts.

Democrats Ducking Vote on Rejecting Anti-Semitism

Democratic leaders are remaining quiet about a new congressional measure that rejects anti-Semitism and chides a new class of Democratic congressional members for the open embrace of notorious anti-Semites and anti-Israel causes, according to the leading Republican author of that new measure.

Rep. Lee Zeldin (R., N.Y.), one of just two Jewish Republicans in Congress, has introduced a new congressional resolution in the House that categorically rejects anti-Semitism in all its forms and calls out some newly elected Democratic members who have ridden a popular wave into Congress on the backs of anti-Semitic leaders and causes, Zeldin told the Washington Free Beacon in a wide-ranging interview.

While a similar House resolution condemning white supremacy sailed to a nearly unanimous vote several weeks ago, Zeldin's amendment, focused directly on anti-Semitism, has put Democratic leaders in a precarious position as they are forced to reject the views of popular new freshman colleagues.

"It's up to the Democrats to decide whether or not they are actually going to confront this head on," Zeldin told the Free Beacon. "I'm wiling to work with any Democratic colleague on any idea he or she has to crush anti-Semitism in any form. But I can't do that for them."

To that end, Zeldin's measure—which is expected to be brought for a vote in the coming weeks—is shaping up to be a sort of litmus test for the Democratic leadership as it figures out how to deal with a class of freshmen who are open about their distaste for Israel and support causes like the Boycott, Sanction, and Divestment movement, or BDS, which wages economic warfare on the Jewish state.