Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Sunday, May 09, 2021

Liar @RashidaTlaib accuses Israel's government of burning Palestinian lands to make way for settlements

Rashida Tlaib has decided that she can be most effective if she acts like an anti-Israel organization.

Here's her logo:

That logo isn't in her Congressional webpage - it is at a "progressive action" website.

She started a petition for US citizens to sign a letter to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken about Sheikh Jarrah/Shimon HaTzaddik - a strange thing for a member of Congress to do, unless the goal of the petition is really to spread lies.

Which it is.

The petition is filled with lies and half-truths, as can be expected.

And one of them is so absurd that it is clear that she knows she is lying.

This forced displacement is part of a broader, ongoing project by the Israeli military and government: forcing Palestinians out of their homes and burning their lands, all to make way for more Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, which are illegal under international law.

This is the first time I have ever seen anyone accuse the Israeli government (as opposed to "settlers") of burning Palestinian lands. The idea that they need to burn lands to make way for settlements is complete fantasy out of her fevered imagination.

This is the sort of lie we would expect from a Palestinian blog, not a member of Congress.

But this is even worse. Even the most extreme anti-Israel NGO tries to be careful to avoid direct lies, for example by deceptively using footnotes. But Rashida proudly makes stuff up even when they don't make any sense. Why would the IDF need to burn lands when it can simply confiscate them at will, according to people like Rashida?

If anyone needs further proof that Rashida Tlaib is a liar hell-bent on spreading the most outrageous slanders about Israel, this is as definitive as possible.

Yes, Jordan illegally gave Jewish owned land to UNRWA

Turkey's anti-Israel Anadolu Agency gives a summary of the background behind the headlines in Sheikh Jarrah:

In 1956, the 28 refugee families who lost their homes during the Nakba reached an agreement with the Jordanian Ministry of Construction and Development and the UN refugee agency UNRWA to provide housing for them in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.

At that time, the West Bank was under Jordanian rule (1951-1967).

According to the Civic Coalition for Palestinian Rights in Jerusalem (CCPRJ), the Jordanian government provided the land while UNRWA covered the cost for constructing 28 homes for these families.

“A contract was concluded between the Ministry of Construction and Reconstruction and Palestinian families in 1956, with one of the main conditions stating that the residents pay a symbolic fee, provided that ownership is transferred to the residents after three years from the completion of construction,” the CCPRJ said in a statement.

This, however, was interrupted by the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, including Jerusalem, in 1967 which prevented the registration of the houses under the names of families, the statement said.

There are two important facts that need to be verified: Did Jordan actually promise to give these houses to these families, and who owned the land?

UNRWA's annual reports that mention this issue do not verify anything about the first assertion. Its 1954 report says:

Because of the housing shortage in most Jordanian towns shelter represents a heavy cost element in the budget of refugees who wish to become self-supporting. The provision of low-cost housing is therefore an urgent necessity. In addition to the Amman housing scheme, involving fifty houses for 253 ration recipient refugees, completed in 1952, UNRWA is now planning new low-cost urban housing for a total of 200 families in Amman, Jerusalem, Hebron and Aqaba. Refugees who will occupy the houses are those who are already partially self-supporting and who, with low rents, will become entirely self-supporting and thus removable from ration rolls. Designs are being drawn and negotiations are under way with the Government of Jordan for the selection of suitable sites. The houses will be financed by UNRWA, with the refugees paying nominal rents; the land will be obtained by the Government.

The intent was that the families would pay low rent, which definitely means that they would not own the houses.

This seemed to change slightly over the years from low-rent to no-rent, but there was no indication that the residents would own the housing. From the 1955 report:

Building work at the second, at Sheikh Jarrah, near Jerusalem, has also been started. Housing for 28 families will be built at a cost of $55,636 made available by the Agency to the Government under an agreement signed on 16 November 1954.

And UNRWA's 1956 report added:

At the Sheikh Jarrah quarter, near Jerusalem, the twenty-eight housing units were completed and the selection of families is being finalized.

Jordan had seized Jewish-owned lands after the War for Independence. As summarized by the PLO in one of the "Palestine Papers" memos that freely admitted Jews owned large amounts of land in Judea and Samaria:

In August 1950, the Jordanian General Administrative Governor of the West Bank issued A Proclamation Aiming to Prevent the Crossing of Borders between the Arab Areas and Jewish Areas in Palestine, and Prohibition of Trading and Dealing with the Enemy No. (55) of 1950. This Proclamation provided that residents of the State of Israel (including its Arab citizens) would be considered enemies in relation to the laws regarding trading with the enemy. Relying on the Trading with the Enemy Ordinance, 1939 and on the Proclamation, the Jordanian Minister of Interior appointed the Custodian of Enemy Property and vested in him, through a multitude of specific and general vesting orders, the property of Israelis in the West Bank.

The Custodian held and administered Jewish-owned in the West Bank until 1967 according to the Trading with the Enemy Ordinance (as opposed to administering the land like absentee property according to the powers and rules of IHL). Some of these assets were used by the Custodian for public purposes, such as the establishment of refugee camps, the rehabilitation of refugees, and the setting up of army camps and marketplaces. In other cases, the property was leased to private individuals, who used the land for agricultural, commercial or residential purposes, depending on its characteristics.

Note that the PLO admits that Jordan did not treat Jewish-owned property according to international humanitarian law (IHL.) Even the PLO admits that Jordan took land illegally from Jews.

Nowhere is there any indication that Jordan sold these lands, though - as this memo shows, the land was leased to others. That must include UNRWA, which in the early 1950s was still considered to be a temporary agency - Jordan wouldn't willingly give away land to UNRWA permanently. And when Jordan allowed private individuals to use the land, it was leased, not sold.

There is no way Jordan would have agreed to give this land to the Palestinian residents of Sheikh Jarrah.

Although I can only see snippets from this publication, a Jewish Agency digest from around 1950 showed that the Jordanian Ministry of Construction and Reconstruction definitely allocated Jewish-owned properties to UNRWA, but didn't sell it:

It was quite well known at the time that the properties that Jordan gave to UNRWA were often those that were owned by Jews. There is absolutely no reason to think that the lands that Arabs now claim ownership for in Sheikh Jarrah were originally owned by Arabs - if so, they would have protested Jordan's takeover of those lands back in the 1950s and UNRWA's building on them.

While this evidence is fragmentary, it all points to the conclusion that the land in Sheikh Jarrah was originally owned by Jews, taken by Jordan, and lent or leased to UNRWA - but never given or sold to private individuals.

The ex-Grand Mufti of Jerusalem appealed to Arab Americans during World War II to support Nazi Germany - and he appealed to antisemitism to help convince them.

Here are excerpts from his shortwave radio address broadcast from Rome on March 19, 1943:

The Arabs and Moslems will not be deceived by Britain once again because not only have they known its true intentions but they have also known those of Britain’s allies—America—and I want to draw the attention of the Arab emigrants in America to this fact, reminding them of their glorious past when they supported the National movement. I would also like to remind them that their efforts will be wasted if, God forbid, America and her Allies may be victorious in this War because at such a time the Arabs will never rise again. I therefore know that those Arab emigrants in America will refrain from helping Roosevelt or taking part in a war which he brought on to his country.

If those Allies win this war the Jewish influence will be the arbiter in the world resources and one can thus imagine the future of the Arabs and Moslems, and the dangers which they are exposed to in their fatherlands and beliefs if the Jews and their Allies dominate them and spread the latent hatred on to them.

Then the world will become Hell—God forbid:

But Allah is too just and merciful to grant such murderous violators any victory. We are sure that victory will be ours and that of our friends. We have not the slightest doubt about that, we shall not slacken our struggle nor will we be deterred or quietened. Do not be deceived by the allegations of your enemies, because you know full well about their intrigues, and be sure that the nation which fights, sacrifices and awaits will be the victorious one in the end.

The Mufti took it for granted that all Arabs are antisemitic so appealing to their hate of Jews was the central part of the speech.

05/08 Links: For Jerusalem Day, the humble memorials to those who died unifying the city; Netanyahu says Israel protects right to worship; 186-year-old account of US diplomatic visit to Holy Land surfaces at auction

From Ian:

For Jerusalem Day, the humble memorials to those who died unifying the city

The 28th day of the Hebrew month of Iyar, which this year falls out on the evening of May 9 and the day of May 10, is the anniversary of the day that Israeli paratroopers captured Jerusalem’s Old City in the Six Day War.

Almost immediately following the Old City’s liberation, the soldiers who had participated in the battle piled some rocks together along Jericho Road outside the Lions’ Gate and planted a flag in the ground.

It was their way of honoring the memory of their fallen comrades, killed on that very same road, when soldiers made a fatal navigational mistake. Israeli troops had conquered the Jordanian outpost at the Rockefeller Museum, but two large obstacles remained: the Old City, and the well-fortified Augusta Victoria complex on the Mount of Olives, which offered a clear view of the Temple Mount down below.

Soldiers heading for the Mount of Olives missed the turn onto the ascent and instead descended along Jericho Road. Unfortunately, from their position on the road, the Israeli forces couldn’t see the Jordanian troops standing at the ready atop the Old City walls. Thus, the soldiers were hit hard when they reached the curve in the road which serves as a bridge above the Kidron Valley. A savage battle raged on the bridge, and other Israeli troops were called in to extract their comrades.

Years later, the impromptu monument, an extremely emotional sight, was moved from the location of the battle to its permanent home across from the ascent to Lions’ Gate. Replacing the rocks is a sculpted eagle with one wing reaching to the sky. A second shattered wing tilts sadly towards the earth.

What we learnt yesterday:

That the @guardian regrets supporting the creation of Israel

They literally regret that the Jews have a place to defend themselves.

They want Jews to be weak, homeless and defenceless.

There is no forgiving this.
— David Collier (@mishtal) May 8, 2021

To be fair, it did lead to national, religious and capitalist success, so lamenting it seems on brand. https://t.co/LyOQ5M7sB1
— David Wolpe (@RabbiWolpe) May 7, 2021

IfNotNow tweeted:

Incredible, inspiring images of Palestinian resistance coming out of Jerusalem tonight.

American Jews are with you ✊ https://t.co/TCPYR0McE2
— IfNotNow🔥 (@IfNotNowOrg) May 8, 2021

The chants include "Bomb, Bomb Tel Aviv."

From the holiest site in Judaism.

And IfNotNow claims not only to be inspired by a genocidal call to kill a million Jews, in a place that is sacred to Jews - but that American Jews support these terrorist supporters!

95% of American Jews support Israel, and IfNotNow is nothing but the fringiest of fringe groups. This tweet proves it. And any media that gives them attention is promoting people who literally support genocide of Israeli Jews.

05/07 Links Pt2: Canadian Court Overturns Barring ‘Product of Israel’ Labels on Judea, Samaria Wine; Guardian Article Listing Its 1917 Support for Creation of Israel Among ‘Worst Errors of Judgment’ in Paper’s History

From Ian:

Canadian Court Overturns Barring ‘Product of Israel’ Labels on Judea, Samaria Wine

A Canadian federal appeals court reversed a lower court’s decision that barred “Product of Israel” labels for wines produced in Judea and Samaria.

In July of 2020, the Federal Court of Canada had ruled that it was “false, misleading or deceptive” for wines produced by Israeli vintners east of the Green Line to be labeled “Product of Israel.” Parts of the decision had also lent support to boycotts of Jewish communities, suggesting that the “Product of Israel” obstructed consumers’ right to boycott these communities.

However, the Federal Court of Appeal reversed this decision, ruling that the lower court judge had gone too far in its decision and that the federal agency, Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), that initially reviewed the labels should be allowed to try again, with all options remaining open.

“We welcome the decision, which puts this matter back on track to being resolved fairly and correctly,” said Michael Mostyn, CEO of B’nai Brith Canada. “B’nai Brith has engaged with decision-makers on this issue since the very beginning and will continue to do so as this matter progresses. We say proudly that Jews returning to producing wine in their indigenous homeland is something to be celebrated, not stigmatized.”

Shimon Koffler Fogel, president and CEO of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, said he is not surprised by the appeals court ruling.

“CIJA believes that current labeling practices are fully consistent with the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement, as well as Canadian and international law,” he said.

British Jews Blast Guardian Article Listing Its 1917 Support for Creation of Israel Among ‘Worst Errors of Judgment’ in Paper’s History

Leading Jewish groups and Israeli officials were outraged on Friday at the The Guardian listing its past editorial support for the 1917 Balfour declaration — which announced the British government’s support for the establishment of a Jewish state — as one of the paper’s “worst errors in judgement over 200 years” in a bicentennial feature article.

“A daily newspaper cannot publish for 200 years without getting some things wrong. This one has made its share of mistakes,” the article began, in an ongoing series marking the publication’s 1821 founding. After regrets including its editorial column’s past support for limiting suffrage to male taxpayers and its animosity towards Abraham Lincoln, the Guardian listed its support of the 1917 decision by Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour to back a national home for the Jewish people in then-Palestine.

Balfour’s “words changed the world,” the article continued. “The Guardian of 1917 supported, celebrated and could even be said to have helped facilitate the Balfour declaration. [Former chief editor CP] Scott was a supporter of Zionism and this blinded him to Palestinian rights. In 1917 he wrote a leader on the day the Balfour declaration was announced, in which he dismissed any other claim to the Holy Land, saying: ‘The existing Arab population of Palestine is small and at a low stage of civilization.’ Whatever else can be said, Israel today is not the country the Guardian foresaw or would have wanted.”

The Board of Deputies of British Jews President Marie van der Zyl called the article “breathtakingly ill considered” in a statement Friday.

“In its eagerness to disassociate itself in any way from its early support for Zionism, the Guardian chooses not to focus on the simple fact that had such a national homeland existed even a decade earlier than 1948, many millions of Jews — our close relatives — murdered in the Holocaust might still be alive,” she wrote.

“Alongside a safe and secure Jewish State, the Board of Deputies supports the creation of a Palestinian State, something the Balfour declaration does not negate. The Guardian would be best advised to advocate for this as well rather than its current position, which seems to be to do everything it can to undermine the legitimacy of the world’s only Jewish state,” van der Zyl continued.

Disgusting: @Guardian expresses regret for having supported Israel's creation, listing it as one of the paper's "worst errors of judgment over 200 years."

If a Jewish state had been born then, in 1917, there may never have been a Holocaust.

Would they have regretted that too? pic.twitter.com/Y3EJgiNXf6
— Avi Mayer (@AviMayer) May 7, 2021

Israel Advocacy Movement: Palestinian propagandists caught lying… again - Am Yisrael Live with David Collier

05/07 Links Pt1: Caroline Glick: A powder keg, courtesy of Washington; An open letter to Israel's Muslim Terrorists; ‘Major attack’ in Israel foiled as 3 gunmen shot in firefight

From Ian:

Caroline Glick: A powder keg, courtesy of Washington

Since the Democrats took control of the White House and both Houses of Congress a hundred days ago, the Middle East has become a powder keg. But Israel's ruling class sees nothing.

In Afghanistan and Iraq, violent attacks against US forces are rising steeply. From January through April, attacks on US forces increased 40%. President Joe Biden's announcement that the US will withdraw its forces from the country by September 11, the 20th anniversary of the jihadist attacks on the US worsened the situation by communicating a message of profound American weakness and defeatism. The Taliban, al-Qaida and Iran clearly believe they are now free to humiliate and bleed the US as they take control of the country.

In Iraq, Iranian-controlled Shiite militias launched three missile strikes against US bases in the past week. Hoping to avoid confrontation with Iran as its emissaries appease it in Vienna, the Biden administration is assiduously avoiding acknowledging that Iran is behind the attacks, and so it guarantees that more attack will soon follow. As in Afghanistan, Iran reads US behavior as an invitation to strike with immunity.

In Syria, Iran's Syrian proxy President Bashar Assad and Iran's Lebanese proxy Hezbollah continue to wage a war of extermination against Syrians who oppose them. In southern Syria last weekend, after opposition forces from the village of Am Batana, six kilometers (3.7 miles) from the border with Israel attacked a joint Syrian military and Hezbollah base nearby, the military ordered the entire village to evacuate by 2 p.m. last Saturday, or else. Most of the villagers reportedly fled their homes.

While turning a blind eye to Syria, the Biden administration continues to empower the Lebanese armed forces and government – both wholly controlled by Iran through Hezbollah. Last month, the administration transferred armored trucks valued at $14 million to the Hezbollah-controlled Lebanese military and asked that Congress provide financial assistance to the government. Hezbollah for its part has launched a charm campaign on the public. Having caused the government to go bankrupt and forced the people of a once prosperous land into destitution, Hezbollah is now carrying out a well-publicized food drive, handing out Iranian basic foodstuffs to starving Lebanese along with Hezbollah membership cards.

Just months ago, hope abounded that Saudi Arabia would join the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan in the Abraham peace accords with Israel. But the picture is now reversed. Recognizing the US has changed sides, the Saudis no longer believe that with Israel they can contain Iran. So now they are hoping to cut a deal with the ayatollahs.

The Caroline Glick Show: Ep4 - The stakes in Israel's political bazar

In Episode 4 of the Caroline Glick Mideast News Hour, Caroline and co-host Gadi Taub discuss the nature and likely outcomes of Israel's prolonged political crisis and the pros and cons and likelihood of various ways of resolving it, either through the formation of a right-wing minority government supported by an Islamist party, the formation of a left-dominant government formally led by a breakaway ideologically right-wing party led by Naftali Bennett, and various permutations in between. Caroline also discusses her experience running for Knesset with Bennett in the April 2019 election and what she learned about his character from that experience. Caroline and Gadi also analyzed the implications of Israel's political instability and the likelihood that it will soon be led by inexperienced leaders presiding over either a weak or radical government for prospects of regional war.

An open letter to Israel's Muslim Terrorists

Dear Muslim Terrorist,

First, I want to recognize your 100 years of mayhem against the Jews of Israel. Oh, I know that you have been terrorizing and killing Jews for much longer than that, but your 1921 Jaffa pogrom when you murdered 47 and injured 146 innocents was really when you got your party started. Your dedication to the destruction of Israel's Jews warms the heart of today's European and American anti-Semites who continue to fund and applaud your work.

Your daily attempts to poison, bomb, stab, rape, burn, threaten, intimidate, beat, and slaughter Jews appears to provide you with your life's meaning and purpose. It seems that no amount of Jewish goodwill and offers of friendship can stop your homicidal fantasies and your compulsion to act on them. That is dedication. That is focus. It is exactly those things that make you and your "people" uniquely unfit, unqualified and undeserving of the state you insist to the world that you deserve.

This last week in Israel, you continued your serial torment of the Jews. My heart cries for each Jew you humiliate, injure or G-d forbid, kill.

Keep this in mind, dear terrorist:, although the Israeli police are too scared to stop you, and corrupt left-wing judges release you as soon as you are arrested, and Israel's political leaders haven't found a way to punish you - Israel's Jews are thriving.

One hundred years ago, there were 60,000 Jews in the Land of Israel. Today, there are 6.7 million and soon, God willing, there will be unlimited millions of Jews living in Israel. That must set off a hot Roman candle in your head. In 1921, the Jewish state was a dream. There was no Israeli Army, Air force, Navy, Special Forces, Mossad, Iron Dome, sky scrapers, high tech, agriculture, hospitals, industry, powerful economy, and material abundance. Synagogues and Institutes of Jewish learning are flourishing. The Israel of 1921 was a backwater part of the British Empire with people dying of starvation on the streets. Now Israel ranks in the top 20 countries in the world in GDP per capita, above Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. In the last 100 years, we Jews in Israel have seen a miracle that no one could have imagined in their wildest fantasies.

INVESTIGATION REVEALS: PFLP terror group diverts humanitarian funds REVEALED: Millions of euros in European government funds, meant for humanitarian purposes, supported terrorism by the PFLP, a Palestinian terror organization responsible for the murder of dozens. European taxpayers' money must not end up supporting terrorism.

Meet the PFLP terror group responsible for killing dozens Meet the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP): a terror group responsible for the murder of dozens around the world. For years, European funds donated to Palestinian civil society organizations ended up supporting Palestinian terrorism. This has to stop.

Other countries are following the US lead in boycotting Durban IV.

The US committed to boycotting the Durban IV conference this September - in response to a question by a Jerusalem Post reporter Lahav Harkov, who had read about it from one of my articles. This helped push other countries into making a decision as to whether they will legitimize the notorious 2001 Durban antisemitic hatefest or not.

Australia was the first to follow the US in announcing that they will not attend. “We will not associate Australia with one-sided and contentious language that singles out Israel or an event that champions such language,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison stated on Thursday, in a much more public position than the US had done with an anonymous State Department official.

Shortly afterwards, Canada also declared that they will not attend. Global Affairs Canada spokesman Grantly Franklin said, “Canada remains committed, at home and abroad, including at the UN, to advancing human rights, inclusion and combatting antisemitism, islamophobia and systemic racism in all its forms. Canada opposes initiatives at the United Nations and in other multilateral forums that unfairly single out and target Israel for criticism.‎ Canada is concerned that the Durban Process has and continues to be used to push for anti-Israel sentiment and as a forum for antisemitism. That is why we do not plan to attend or participate in events surrounding the 20th anniversary of the Durban Declaration and Program of Action."

Jewish leaders in the UK are urging Great Britain to follow suit, but the government has not committed to that, only saying that they will see how likely it is that Durban IV will host antisemitism. That is a poor answer because Durban IV will re-commit to the Durban I declaration that singled out Israel as guilty of "racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia [or] related intolerance."

According to Harkov, France is expected to pull out as well.

14 nations boycotted the tenth anniversary of Durban I. It is unclear if the US will actually lead the push to boycott Durban IV, though, as it did then under Obama. This is still very troubling.

Iranian "Quds Day" video portrays victims of Syrian bombs and chemical attacks as Palestinian children

Iran's Tasnim news agency, which has ties to Iran's Revolutionary Guards, highlights a video for Quds Day today.

It starts off showing Iranian children, and then a quick montage of about 20 photos of children suffering in war. The Iranian children then piece together an oversized jigsaw puzzle with those photos of injured children to make a large Palestinian flag under the landmark Azadi Tower in Tehran.

The montage starts at 0:21:

Most of the photos of suffering or injured children I could identify are of Syrian children - suffering under the Iranian-backed Assad regime. (At least one was from the aftermath of an ISIS attack, there may be some from Yemen as well.)

I couldn't verify a single photo as being of Palestinian children.

Somehow, I don't think they really care about Palestinian children.

The first leader of Iran after the 1979 revolution, the Ayatollah Khomeini, wrote a book called Islamic Government: Governance of the Jurist: Velayat-e Faqeeh, which is a manifesto he wrote in 1970 and is the theological basis for Iran today.

It is also thoroughly antisemitic.

The entire book is online with an official translation from the Institute for Compilation and Publication of Imam Khomeini’s Works.

On the very first page of the introduction, Khomeini says, "From the very beginning, the historical movement of Islam has had to contend with the Jews, for it was they who first established anti-Islamic propaganda and engaged in various stratagems."

On page 22, he refers to Israel as "a handful of wretched Jews."

Page 53: "Since the Jews of Bani Qurayza were a troublesome group, causing corruption in Muslim society and damaging Islam and the Islamic state, the Most Noble Messenger (‘a) eliminated them."

Page 78: "the imperialists, the oppressive and treacherous rulers, the Jews, Christians, and

materialists are all attempting to distort the truths of Islam and lead the Muslims astray....We see today that the Jews (may God curse them) have meddled with the text of the Qur’an and have made certain changes in the Qur’ans they have printed in the occupied territories. It is our duty to prevent this treacherous interference with the text of Qur’an. We must protest and make the people aware that the Jews and their foreign backers are opposed to the very foundations of Islam and wish to establish Jewish domination throughout the world. Since they are a cunning and resourceful group of people, I fear that —God forbid— they may one day achieve their goal, and that the apathy shown by some of us may allow a Jew to rule over us one day. May God never let us see such a day!"

It is hard to explain this away as mere "anti-Zionism." Clearly, to the Ayatollah, hate of Israel and hate of Jews were one and the same.

Iran was literally founded with an antisemitic philosophy.

Today, Iranians claim that they are against antisemitism and only hate Israel. If that is true, then where are the Iranian leaders who object to the first Supreme Leader's obvious Jew-hatred?

And for Western leftist apologists for Iran who are quick to "cancel" American historical figures because of their actions that are being judged by today's standards, is Khomeini's antisemitism reason to cancel him as well?

(h/t L_King)

05/06 Links Pt2: Dore Gold: “Why Is a Meeting in San Remo 101 Years Ago So Important?”; New York courts prove that woke politics endangers Jews; My first month with the Sabras

From Ian:

Amb. Dore Gold: “Why Is a Meeting in San Remo 101 Years Ago So Important?”

On April 29, 2021, Dr. Dore Gold, President of the Jerusalem Center, was interviewed by Professor Ugo Volli of Turin University in Shalom Magazine, published in Italy. Below is the translation of excerpts from “Siamo Ancora un Popolo Che Dimora Da Solo” – Intervista a Dore Gold

What is the 101-year-old San Remo Conference, and why is it important today?
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, states were born through great international conferences. For example, the Congress of Berlin took former Ottoman territories in 1878 and granted them independence, creating Romania, Serbia, and Montenegro. Bulgaria also emerged from this division of Ottoman territories. After the First World War, international conferences of the victorious allied powers led to a division of formerly Ottoman territories as well. It was in San Remo, Italy, that the powers decided on the emergence of a national home for the Jewish People that established the State of Israel. The Balfour Declaration of 1917 was a statement of British policy; the San Remo Resolution of 1920 was a formal international treaty that was legally binding.

In the years between 1919 and 1922, many states were established. Why, after one century, is the right of the State of Israel to exist still disputed?
Israel is the only state whose legal foundation was rooted in acts of the League of Nations and the United Nations. Its legitimacy was backed by both bodies. But Israel is a state that is not protected by coalitions of countries. If a group of states wants to challenge the existence of Belgium, they will confront the collective power of the European Union. If Singapore’s existence is called into question, then the ASEAN states will “circle the wagons.” The American veto in the UN Security Council has provided Israel with protection from one-sided attacks on Israel. But that is not applicable in the General Assembly with its 193 members. Israel is still what the Bible (Numbers 23:9) describes as “a people that shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations.”

Yet, after the Balfour Declaration, San Remo and the League of Nations, a large non-government organization, Human Rights Watch, can criticize the existence of the state of the Jewish People as “racist.” Is it a political issue, or is it anti-Semitism?
This is pure anti-Semitism. Why do French people have a right to France, but the Jewish people have no right to a state of their own? Double standards are one of the indicators that anti-Semitism is present. And the apartheid charge is yet another form of anti-Semitism that ignores the reality of modern Israel.

In apartheid South Africa, there were separate hospitals for blacks and whites. Anyone who visits an Israeli hospital, like Hadassah in Jerusalem, will see in the Emergency Room and all wards Arab and Jewish doctors working together taking care of Arab and Jewish patients. In the 1980s, Israel sent its air force into Africa to bring out Ethiopian Jews. Is that an apartheid state?

Israeli President Pays Homage to David Raziel, First Commander of the Etzel Pre-State Militia, on 80th Anniversary of His Death

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin on Wednesday paid tribute to David Raziel — the co-founder and first commander of the Irgun Zvai Leumi (Etzel), the pre-state right-wing Zionist militia — on the 80th anniversary of his death.

Speaking at the memorial ceremony for Raziel, Rivlin called him a “great leader on behalf of the people and the country.”

The Etzel grew out of the right-wing Revisionist Zionism movement led by Ze’ev Jabotinsky, who personally appointed Raziel to lead the militia in 1938.

Rejecting the mainstream Labor Zionism policy of restraint in response to Arab violence, the Etzel under Raziel undertook a series of retaliatory attacks against Arab targets that aroused considerable controversy in the Zionist movement.

During World War II, however, the Etzel put aside its opposition to British power over Palestine in favor of collaborating in the fight against Nazism. Despite having been imprisoned by the British in 1939, Raziel chose to support the war effort upon his release. Sent to Iraq by British intelligence to fight an attempted pro-Nazi coup, Raziel was killed in action by a German air attack in 1941.

Building on the framework that Raziel established, Menachem Begin eventually took command of the Etzel and led it through a guerrilla war against the British power in Palestine.

The Etzel’s revolt was eventually credited with helping to push the British out of Palestine, paving the way for the establishment of the State of Israel.

Jonathan Tobin: New York courts prove that woke politics endangers Jews

The problem is that those who have taken the lead in promoting measures like bail reform in the name of social justice not only drew no conclusions from the dismal results of this legislation with respect to the rest of society, they are also unmoved by the way it endangered Jews.

In the days after Burnette’s release, the Anti-Defamation League, which continues to pose as the defender of the Jewish community against anti-Semitism, said nothing about the case. Since his release, both the group and its CEO, Jonathan Greenblatt, found time to publicly advocate for Facebook to continue its ban on posts from former President Donald Trump and to claim that American police were engaging in “systemic racism” against African-Americans. Although they raise massive funds from liberal donors by seeking to depict Jews as under siege from hate crimes, they were mum about the way those who committed such crimes have benefited from bail reform.

The reason for this is that Jordan Burnette is not the kind of anti-Semite that interests the ADL.

We know that had he been a right-wing extremist, the attacks on synagogues in Riverdale would have been considered a threat to all Jews. Whether or not there was evidence for it, they would have linked it to Trump and Greenblatt fodder for more lectures about white supremacists in which he would have analogized the shattered glass of Riverdale synagogues to Kristallnacht. But since Burnette didn’t fit into that scenario, the ADL has remained silent about a Jewish community being terrorized and then having to endure the sight of their assailant sent back out onto the street.

The shame here goes deeper than the way the ADL has betrayed its mandate. That is merely a symptom of a broader problem in which liberals have sacrificed Jewish security on the altar of woke politics and maintaining alliances with allies like race-baiter Al Sharpton. Doing so doesn’t merely tie them to radical causes that undermine law enforcement and falsely label America as an irredeemably racist nation. It also leads them to treat attacks on Jews by those who can’t be tied to their partisan opponents as something to be minimized or ignored so as to avoid having to confront the consequences of their ideological choices. “Bail reform” hasn’t just hurt New Yorkers. It exposed the Jewish left’s willingness to treat Jewish security as an afterthought.

Squad memes (cartoons)

Stuff I posted on Twitter....

Arab MKs Call On Constituents To Engage Only In Responsible Rioting, Mayhem (PreOccupied Territory)

Our weekly column from the humor site PreOccupied Territory.

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Umm el-Fahm, May 6 - Weeks of Arab violence against Jews in Israel have some among the Arab political leadership in the country to urge their voters to calm the situation by inflicting beatings and attempted murder only in a responsible manner.

Faction leaders of Arab parties in the Knesset and mayors of Arab locales across Israel have, in the wake of several near-lynchings of Jews in Jaffa, Ramle, and Jerusalem by Arab assailants, stated in no uncertain terms that random street violence remains out of the question, and that the only proper outlet for expressing their frustrations or ambitions lies in deliberate, careful rioting and beating Jews.

"We call on the youth of our people to cease irresponsible behavior, and on the adults among us to curb it," declared MK Mansour Abbas. "The times demand something other than random outbursts, which betray both a regrettable lack of discipline and seldom prove effective. We must train our youth to attack Jews only in a responsible fashion, and not in some slapdash or extemporized heat of the moment."

Abbas's colleague Dr. Ahmad Tibi invoked historical precedent to stress the point. "Our ancestors, some of whom are still alive, could tell you," he stated in an online video message to Arab voters in Israel. "It was Arab disunity and haphazard planning, if any, that doomed the efforts in 1947 and 48 to keep Jews at the mercy of others. This time around we must take a more measured, strategic approach, and not dismiss our enemy as just a bunch of weak, cowardly dhimmi. If we are to restore the place of the Muslim as supreme in our society, and not continue to suffer the unbearable shame of being subject to the descendants of apes and pigs, of having lost to a ragtag group of refugees and Holocaust survivors even though we outnumbered and outgunned them by a ridiculous margin, we cannot achieve that end by random acts of violence in the streets. A responsible, sober attitude will serve us better."

The Arab leaders' exhortations caused some confusion in the streets. "I need to understand," queried a hesitant twenty-year-old in Jerusalem's Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood. "If I see a Jew or two walking there, just asking to be attacked and hopefully killed, do I need to have a plan? Like how much of a plan? I already know not to bother if there are any police or soldiers in the vicinity, because, while they're pathetically ineffective at deterrence, they will get in the way before I can strike the fatal blow. If they mean more planning than that, I need more instructions, but I probably won't wait for them."

05/06 Links Pt1: Palestinian terror group stole millions from European aid donors; Perverse Incentives Discourage Palestinian Leaders from Making Peace; Australia won’t go to anti-Israel Durban Conference

From Ian:

Shin Bet: Palestinian terror group stole millions from European aid donors

The Shin Bet security service on Thursday accused the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine of pilfering millions of euros from European aid organizations and governments to fund terrorist activities.

The Shin Bet in recent weeks arrested a number of those suspected of involvement and said that indictments against them would be filed shortly, including against a woman with Spanish citizenship, Juani Rishmawi.

In light of the investigation, the Foreign Ministry met with European diplomats in Israel and sent Israeli diplomats in Europe to meet with representatives of their host governments to ask them to refrain from donating to Palestinian non-governmental organizations linked to the PFLP.

“During these conversations, the representatives of the Israeli Foreign Ministry explained to the European diplomats the severity with which Israel sees these issues and presented them with the findings of the investigation, including proof that European government funds went to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which is recognized in Europe as a terrorist organization,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

According to the security service, the PFLP used its health organization, the Health Work Committee, to defraud various Europe organizations and countries of millions of euros over the course of several years.

“PFLP institutions deceived aid organizations in Europe through a number of methods – reporting on fictitious projects, transferring false documents, forging and inflating invoices, diverting tenders, forging documents and bank signatures, reporting inflated salaries, and more,” the Shin Bet said in a statement.

REVEALED: Millions of €s in European government funds, meant for humanitarian purposes, supported terrorism by the PFLP, a Palestinian terror organization responsible for the murder of dozens. European taxpayers' money must not end up supporting terrorism. pic.twitter.com/ynz4eTEj8K
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) May 6, 2021

Douglas J. Feith: Perverse Incentives Discourage Palestinian Leaders from Making Peace

Successive Israeli governments have been willing to make reasonable compromises for peace. The actual problem is the ideological inflexibility of the Palestinians and the corruption of their leaders. Those of Hamas are notoriously extremist. This is why progress toward peace requires empowerment of a new Palestinian leadership.

The world incentivizes Palestinian leaders to perpetuate the conflict with Israel. Because they are widely celebrated as embodying an important, as-yet-unfulfilled national cause, those leaders are granted extraordinary diplomatic attention and generous financial aid, much of which they divert improperly for the huge houses they have built for themselves in Ramallah and Gaza. Were they to settle the conflict, reducing themselves to mere functionaries in a state in poor condition, they would lose much international solicitude and money.

Israel's new friends in the Arab world have an interest in changing the economic and political landscape of Palestinian politics. They may be able to empower Palestinians who are not enmeshed in the perverse incentive system that requires perpetuation of the conflict against Israel. Therein lies the best hope for progress toward peace. If the Biden team has its eye on the prize, it will direct its energies not at recreating the old "peace process" but at working with Arab states to encourage the rise of new Palestinian leaders.