Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Wednesday, March 29, 2023

03/29 Links Pt2: A tale of two settlements; Indonesia yanked as U-20 World Cup host after calls to bar Israeli soccer team; Scotland’s new first minister Humza Yousaf has met with Hamas

From Ian:

Uncanny Similarities Between America’s Leftist Takedown of Trump and Israel’s Leftist Attempted Takedown of Bibi

It is a warning to conservatives everywhere: The rise of woke progressivism, amped by social media, threatens the future of democracy. The Israeli Left now is acting to circumvent free elections by trying to take down Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu’s popularly chosen majority government, just as the American Left acted to take down Donald Trump’s presidency. In a way, it is like seeing Hamilton or Les Mis on Broadway and then, two years later, seeing it again in Los Angeles, only with a different cast but the same songs, the same costumes and staging.

In Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu plays Donald Trump. Yair Lapid, the dubious opposition leader, plays Nancy Pelosi. The Israeli Left plays Antifa, closing down airports, violently assaulting members of parliament at their homes. Israel’s TV news channels 11, 12, and 13 play CNN, MSNBC, and another MSNBC. The Ha’aretz daily plays the New York Times (they wish). Maariv and Yediot Aharonot play the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times (they wish). And both countries’ productions are financed by George Soros and Friends.

There are some differences. Instead of Hillary Clinton saying that Trump did not really win, Yair Lapid and his cohort say it of Bibi. Instead of Democrats calling leading Republicans fascists and Nazis, the Israeli leftist opposition calls Netanyahu and his cabinet ministers Hitlers and Nazis. It has a special ring when Israeli Marxists and woke extremists call Jewish patriots Nazis.

The day Trump won, the Resistance and Insurrection began. A massive “Women’s March” was held, and it banned half of America’s women, those on the right. Madonna spoke of “blowing up the White House.” The screwiest Judd read a sicko “poem” whose perversion fit the moment. Kathy Griffin held a bloodied decapitated head depicting Trump. A Shakespeare in the Park production presented an assassination with the target portrayed as Trump-like. Likewise, in Israel, the mass protests against Netanyahu began right away. Retired military vets tweeted they would kill him. Reservists refused to serve. In America, the Chelsea Handlers announced they would move to Canada (we wish). In Israel, their woke celebrities announced they would move to Germany (fitting).

The one moment of comedy saw Israeli high-tech leftists, the parallel to America’s high-tech left, act to crash the Israeli economy by pulling millions of their dollars out of the country and depositing it elsewhere. The comedy? The woke deposited their cash in Silicon Valley Bank. Idiots. Before long, they were begging Netanyahu for his government’s intervention to help them get their money back to Israel. Jerks.

Daniel Greenfield: A tale of two settlements

Biden’s State Department claims that allowing Jews to live in Homesh “represents a clear contradiction of undertakings the Israeli Government made to the United States” to permanently expel Jews from their homes and destroy entire villages “in order to stabilize the situation and reduce frictions.” Eighteen years later, where is the stability or the lack of friction?

Where are the assurances made by the Clinton administration to the State of Israel that giving the PLO autonomy would end terrorism? Thirty years ago, Bill Clinton claimed that the PLO had accepted “Israel’s right to exist in peace and security” and committed “to renounce terrorism.”

The PLO’s idea of renouncing terrorism is spending hundreds of millions of dollars a year funding terrorism through Pay-to-Slay: including building a village just for terrorists. And the Biden administration has violated not only its commitments, but U.S. law, by continuing to fund the terrorists while failing to even offer the least objection to the terror village.

After the murder of Taylor Force, an Afghan war veteran studying in Israel, Congress passed the Taylor Force Act, barring further foreign aid to the terrorists. The Biden administration has flagrantly violated the Taylor Force Act by sending over $1 billion to the terrorist-occupied areas.

Biden’s decision to fund the terrorists has led to a 900% increase in Israeli deaths.

Perhaps the Biden administration would consider “reducing friction” by ending its illegal funding of terrorism instead of by demanding that Israel ethnically cleanse Jews from parts of Israel.

The “tale of two settlements” shows the bias and double standard of the Biden administration.

Given a choice between a terrorist village and a Jewish one, the Biden administration chose to condemn the Jewish village while continuing to fund the terrorists. Politicians and the media are outraged over Homesh, but carefully avoid talking about the jihad village.

Meanwhile, the Jews camped out in Homesh continue to live in tents, they dodge checkpoints and risk their lives walking circuitous routes to reach the high ground where the village once stood, and where they are determined it will stand again. While the Muslim terrorists will settle down in luxury condominiums, swimming laps in an indoor pool and enjoying the fruits of their murderous labors, the unsung heroes will go on risking their lives by defying them.

And defying their enablers in the Biden administration.

Indonesia yanked as U-20 World Cup host after calls to bar Israeli soccer team

Indonesia was stripped of hosting the men’s Under-20 World Cup on Wednesday amid political turmoil regarding Israel’s participation.

FIFA said Indonesia was removed from staging the 24-team tournament scheduled to start on May 20 “due to the current circumstances” without specifying details.

“A new host will be announced as soon as possible, with the dates of the tournament currently remaining unchanged,” FIFA said in a statement.

The decision came after a meeting in Doha between FIFA president Gianni Infantino and Indonesian soccer federation president Erick Thohir.

Israel qualified for its first Under-20 World Cup in June. The country’s participation in Friday’s scheduled draw in Bali provoked political opposition this month.

Indonesia is the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation and does not have formal diplomatic relations with Israel, while publicly supporting the Palestinian cause.

Indonesia’s hosting was cast into doubt on Sunday when FIFA postponed the draw. Indonesian officials said Bali’s governor calling for Israel to be thrown out of the cup because of its policies towards the Palestinians was likely behind the draw’s cancellation.

It is unclear who could now host the tournament, which was scheduled to be played in six stadiums in Indonesia.

The Queen Bee syndrome is getting in the way of Jewish unity. It does this by creating conflict between Jewish women, and in some cases, men as well. In Queen Bee syndrome, a woman, the “Queen,” is mean to others, in particular to other women. The Queen may do so in order to establish a pecking order, or to get ahead in what she perceives to be a man’s world offering only limited opportunities for women. But whatever the catalyst, Queen Bee behavior by nature results in alienation—the alienation of those who might otherwise have been allies. Queen Bee syndrome is far from the only obstacle standing in the way of Jewish unity. But it should be addressed, because it affects Jewish unity as a whole, rendering us weak and ineffective as a force for good in the world.

Now, the vast majority of my own female colleagues, likeminded souls who fight on Israel’s behalf in a hostile world, are lovely. We network and help each other. We chat on the phone and share good news. We critique each other’s work with kindness and sensitivity and sit and schmooze together at press events, subtly rolling our eyes at each other whenever a speaker says something not in line with our political beliefs.

Why not? We’re on the same side. We are allies. Talking shop is fun.

But for some reason, a small number of women in Israel advocacy and related endeavors remain nasty, cold, and patronizing in their dealings with other women. There was the interview subject who told me my questions were too personal, even salacious, and that I clearly hadn't read her books. "I am an intellectual and a scholar and my work and ideas and thinking is [sic] at another level," she told me, putting me in my place for suggesting she might be mortal.

Public Embarrassment

Then there was the woman who upbraided me in public while I was delivering prepared remarks before a crowd. She actually wagged her finger and yelled at me. This queen bee, too, was putting me in my place. She had the power to overrule me, interrupt me, embarrass me in public. I think she wanted the other people in that room to know it should have been HER giving that speech. She wanted them to know I was noone, that I was stupid, and that they would have been much better served to be hearing from HER.

Another time, in the run-up to yet another Israeli election, I messaged a female colleague: "I had this idea that perhaps women journalists and bloggers on the right could issue a statement in support of voting for Likud. Would this be a worthwhile effort, in your opinion?"

"maybe. couldn't hurt," she responded.

Encouraged, I wrote up a draft of a statement and sent it to her for input. She never responded. A bit later, I wrote, "Too emo?" in a last-ditch effort to elicit a response.

But she never was going to respond. I wasn't important enough. She wanted me to know that.

Did I imagine these things? Read too much into them? No. The same woman avoided my eyes in the supermarket when I tried to smile and greet her. At an event, during the question and answer period, she pointedly took questions from everyone in the audience who raised their hands, everyone except for me. When my hand was the last one still standing in air, she said, "Well, that's all we have time for, tonight."

It's a shame. Because it's like these women have forgotten that we have a higher cause. It's not about who's smarter, or better, or more important. It's not about a pecking order, but about fighting for Israel and Jewish rights.

It's The Patriarchy

Of the woman I interviewed who told me she was too smart to answer my questions, I was told by the male colleague who made the introduction that I should expect in future, to be invited to this woman's fabulous dinner parties where she always hosts the most fascinating guests.

He may have been a regular at her table, but I'm still waiting for an invitation. Because guess what? I'm a woman. There's no way she's going to invite the competition. There's no way she's going to invite the likes of me.

And that's my general experience with Queen Bees. Queen Bees curry favor with the men while lashing out at the women and belittling them, often in public. The Queen Bee must call the shots, and so she is always the one to end a conversation or the relationship, such as it is. She often does this by ignoring you, your messages, and/or your emails, just as that female colleague did, after encouraging me to write up that statement she never intended to sign.

Why do some women mistreat others of their own gender? Some say it’s because of the patriarchy: queen bees have to eliminate the others if they want to rise to the top. Others say that women being mean to women is biological. Women try to destroy other women because historically, women have always had to compete not only for men but for the resources they need for their offspring.

In the world of Israel advocacy however, there's no place for this sort of angling for resources, power, or pride of place. There's enough room for all of us, and each of us has our own unique perspective to share. No woman actively fighting for her people should be to be afraid to enter a room for fear of being belittled by the others. No woman should be bullying those fighting for the same cause. Ego should have no place in this arena.

Queen Bees Come In Three Varieties

Does Queen Bee syndrome sounds familiar to you? It's no surprise. I'm not the only one to have these experiences. You've probably witnessed this behavior, yourself.

From the Atlantic, “Why Do Women Bully Each Other at Work?”:

The bitches, as Shannon saw it, came in three varieties. She categorized them on her personal blog, in a post titled “Beware the Female BigLaw Partner.”

First was the “aggressive bitch”—a certain kind of high-ranking woman at the firm where she worked who didn’t think twice about “verbally assaulting anyone.” When one such partner’s name appeared on caller ID, Shannon told me, “we would just freak out.”

Next was the two-faced “passive-aggressive bitch,” whose “subtle, semi-rude emails” hinted that “you really shouldn’t leave before 6:30.” She was arguably worse than the aggressive bitch, because you might never know where you stand.

Last but not least, the “tuned-out, indifferent bitch,” Shannon wrote, “is so busy, both with work and family, that they don’t have time for anything … This partner is not trying to be mean, but hey, they got assignments at midnight when they were associates. So you will too.

“There obviously are exceptions,” she added. “But there aren’t many.”

The Passive-Aggressive Queen Bee

According to the theory of the Queen Bee syndrome, Queen Bees like to cut you down. That makes passive-aggressive behavior par for the course. Like the interview subject who felt it necessary to make me feel bad about the nature of my questions, though I had clearly stated up front that she could skip over any and as many questions as she liked.

Male Vs. Female Boss

Sometimes a woman has to take it, be maltreated by the other women, if she wants to stay in the game, stay relevant. Other women have a choice. They don't have to stay. But even then, it's hard. It takes courage to make a move when your self-confidence has taken a beating and you've been made to feel inadequate. According to the Atlantic, it took 16 months for Shannon to finally decide to up and leave.

Is the Queen Bee syndrome real? There is ample evidence to suggest that it is. For example, both women and men prefer a male over a female boss. It seems plausible to conclude that a large enough number of women in the workplace are unpleasant to others, so much so that both women and men have been traumatized. They’d rather have a male boss than take the risk of suffering further female tyranny:

In 2011, Kim Elsesser, a lecturer at UCLA, analyzed responses from more than 60,000 people and found that women—even those who were managers themselves—were more likely to want a male boss than a female one. The participants explained that female bosses are “emotional,” “catty,” or “bitchy.” (Men preferred male bosses too, but by a smaller margin than the female participants did.)

In a smaller survey of 142 law-firm secretaries—nearly all of whom were women—not one said she or he preferred working for a female partner, and only 3 percent indicated that they liked reporting to a female associate. (Nearly half had no preference.) “I avoid working for women because [they are] such a pain in the ass!” one woman said. In yet another study, women who reported to a female boss had more symptoms of distress, such as trouble sleeping and headaches, than those who worked for a man.

Queen Bees Preen

According to the BBC, Queen Bee syndrome was first defined by psychologists at the University of Michigan in 1973:

Queen bee syndrome describes a woman in a position of authority in a male-dominated environment who treats subordinates more critically if they are female. Prof Dame Sally Davies, England's first female chief medical officer, used the term in 2014 when describing her own experiences in the health sector. "I saw it particularly in medicine - queen bees preening and enjoying being the only woman," she said.

Margaret Thatcher, the UK's first female prime minister, has been described as a queen bee for not promoting or furthering the careers of women in her cabinet.

There's A Ripple Effect

Some women, for example, Shannon, manage to extricate themselves from a Queen Bee-ruled workplace. But often, there’s a ripple effect (emphasis added):

In 2011, Prof [Naomi] Ellemers and her colleagues [at Utrecht University in the Netherlands] carried out a study asking Dutch policewomen to recall specific experiences of being discriminated against. They found that being reminded of gender discrimination prompted participants to downplay the sexism they had experienced. It also triggered queen bee behaviour among policewomen who identified weakly with other women at work. "They are being taught to be successful in the organisation you need to adopt male characteristics," Prof Ellemers says.

"They cope with gender bias by demonstrating they are different from other women."

These women use phrases such as: "I'm not like the other women, I'm much more ambitious."

Prof Ellemers calls this "self-group distancing" - a response that is also found among other groups that are under-represented at work - and argues queen bee syndrome is a product of gender stereotyping.

Perhaps so, but if women are to be part of a cohesive and strong Jewish front in the battle for Israel’s reputation and against Jew-hatred, they must always squelch the impulse to be nasty to their sistahs. Queen Bee syndrome may be about women’s inhumanity to other women, but Jewish unity is impossible when a significant number of them refuse to be nice to the others. Putting ego aside for the sake of our people and our nation is absolutely critical.

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Ramallah News and others are reporting:

In an aggressive and unprecedented step, the so-called "Temple Organizations" called on the settlers and their supporters to bring their animal sacrifices and gather next Wednesday evening at the gates of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, on the eve of what is called the Hebrew "Passover".

Those extremist organizations published a central announcement to their audience to gather at the gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque on Wednesday evening, corresponding to the fifth of April, and set the gathering hour at 10:30 at night.

According to what Ziyad Ibhais, a specialist in Jerusalem affairs, posted on his Facebook page, "The extremist groups demanded that their supporters bring sacrificial animals with the aim of trying to slaughter them at night inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque, while the Biblical time for the sacrament starts from sunset on Wednesday."

I couldn't find this specific announcement but it could easily be true - there have been Temple groups that have attempted this in years past.

I did find that this coming Sunday, other Temple groups will perform a trial run of a sacrifice ceremony where they will publicly play out what such a sacrifice would look like.

But there is no way someone is smuggling a sheep to the Temple Mount on the night of Passover! Jews can't even bring prayer books there during normal visiting hours - they'll smuggle a sheep at night through one of the other zealously guarded gates?

Variants of this happen every year, with Muslims warning about how terrible it would be if Jews do a ceremony on the site, some Jews trying to do something, and they are always stopped - by Israeli forces. The whole thing is a play and everyone acts their part.

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03/29 Links Pt1: Why Did the Biden Administration Oppose Israeli Judicial Reform?; UNRWA is evil! Here's why; Iran-linked Pakistanis arrested for plotting attacks on Jewish targets in Athens

From Ian:

Eugene Kontorovich: Israel’s protesters are enemies, not heroes, of democracy

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu announced Monday night he was temporarily pausing his government’s judicial-reform efforts in the face of strikes by key industries, insubordination in some parts of the military and huge protests.

While many within the international community, as well as on the Israeli left, will attempt to portray the announcement as a triumph of democracy, it is anything but.

The reforms seek to introduce a modicum of checks and balances into Israel’s political system, where the “court” sits as a de facto unelected supreme legislative chamber that can exercise veto power over every single government action.

The assault on the proposals, apart from the telegenic protesters, was actually rooted in the state’s bureaucracy, which remains highly sympathetic to the judiciary.

For 25 years, Israel’s Supreme Court has operated entirely without democratic constraints.

Not only does the court remain unfettered by any written constitution when evaluating a law — it is guided by such nebulous principles as “human dignity” and “liberty” — it’s also seized the ability to block any government act it deems “unreasonable.”

Perhaps most confounding, judges exercise veto power over the selection of their successors, resulting in an ideologically homogenous judiciary.

To top it off, what little power the court has not assumed for itself, it has delegated to the attorney general, who can veto any government action or policy by his or her own discretion.

Israel’s fired defense chief still at work as talks begin on court overhaul compromise after mass protests In the United States, presidents can and do fire their AGs. In Israel, it is closer to the opposite.

Jonathan Tobin: Why Did the Biden Administration Oppose Israeli Judicial Reform?

Ignore Washington's hypocritical talk about protecting democracy. They want a weak government that won't make trouble when it comes to Iran, and they won't stop until they get one.

Washington made no secret of its efforts to directly intervene in a domestic Israeli dispute....

The people who jammed the streets... see the maintenance of an unaccountable court with virtually unlimited power as the only way to maintain the Israeli left's political power even when they lose elections....

Washington is... determined... to oust a democratically elected government by any means possible.

What the White House and State Department want is more pliable Israeli Prime Minister, who will keep quiet about the nuclear threat from Iran, and who can be intimidated into not acting too forestall that deadly threat to Israel's existence.

As for behaving like a dictator, Biden's predilection for governing by executive order... even when his diktats are obviously contrary to the constitution or existing laws makes anything Netanyahu might attempt look like child's play.

[Biden's] administration apparently thinks that when Israel's Supreme Court strikes down Netanyahu's efforts to govern – on the basis of no law, and only on the judges, subjective ideas about what is "reasonable" – it's a great idea.

[E]stablishment Jewish groups... joined the liberal groups in praising Netanyahu's surrender to the mob and then had the chutzpah to laud the protesters, who sought to sabotage the country to get their way without even any attempt at balance by treating supporters of the government and reform, who clearly outnumbered the critics at the ballot box last November, as equally praiseworthy.

[T]hey also understand that the hyperbolic claims that Netanyahu and advocates of judicial reform seek to impose a dictatorship or a Torah state is pure fiction.

What Biden and his supporters want in Jerusalem isn't so much an all-powerful Supreme Court... but anything that can help oust the prime minister.

The [Biden] administration is now willing to tolerate Iran having nuclear weapons as long as they are not going to publicly flaunt them.

This attitude isn't just unacceptable to all of Israel's major political parties. It constitutes a grave threat to the security of the Jewish state that no Israeli prime minister could reasonably be expected to tolerate.

The brazen nature of Biden's attack on Netanyahu... speaks volumes about how much the administration wants an Israeli government that won't cause trouble over Iran.

The problem with Israel’s protests

The most recent electoral defeat was particularly crushing. It led large sections of the Israeli left to effectively give up on winning elections – and winning over the people of Israel. Much of the left now seems to accept that future governments will be made up of coalitions including right-wing, far-right, religious and ultra-orthodox elements.

This is the context shaping and driving the left’s support for a strong Supreme Court. The left, which now represents the interests of Israel’s technocratic elite, sees the court as a way to check the power of the elected but right-wing Knesset. Hence, it wants to vest power in judges to limit the power of elected politicians.

Analyses of the rightward shift in Israeli politics usually focus on demographics. They point out that religious and ultra-orthodox communities have higher birth rates than the secular, left-leaning sections of society. That is then used to explain the apparent right-wing trajectory of Israeli politics. But this is much too simplistic. This apparent rightward shift is not a straightforward result of conservatives having more babies.

For a start, Israel’s leftish technocratic elite is increasingly influenced by globalist and ‘woke’ ideas – indeed, LGBT rights have enjoyed a high profile at the recent demonstrations, with rainbow Pride flags being waved alongside Israeli flags. This globalist, cosmopolitan left is increasingly distancing itself from Israel’s national project – and much of the Israeli populace. This is most apparent in the military. Its elite units and officer ranks were traditionally populated by the left. Today, however, the national religious community is much more strongly represented.

The rise in support for the far-right Religious Zionism bloc also cannot be explained by demographic trends. RZ is a vile grouping that has overtly supported violence against the Palestinians and Israeli protesters. But those who voted for it often did so out of despair. For example, it is not widely known that there were 5,000 terror attacks of various sorts against Israelis last year, according to figures from the prime minister’s office. Support for RZ stemmed partly from the government’s perceived failure to tackle this problem of extreme violence.

Too many on Israel’s left, aided and abetted by their international cheerleaders, ignore all of this. Instead, they have given up on the Israeli electorate. They continue to distance themselves from Israel’s national project. And they ostentatiously wave rainbow flags at anti-government demonstrations. By doing so, they effectively position themselves against the supposedly backward nationalist majority.

Israel may be relatively small, but it is a complex society that faces unique challenges. There is a lot wrong with Netanyahu’s coalition government to say the least. But to view its judicial reforms as a dictatorial threat to democracy misunderstands the dynamic at play here. For it is not the government that is trying to entrench power in an unaccountable, unelected body here. It is the protesters and their elite backers.

By Daled Amos

Following the 9/11 terrorist attack, there were calls for "moderate Muslims" to speak out against radical Islamists. One problem was that it wasn't exactly clear how to define what a moderate Muslim was. Add to that the fear of being labeled an Islamaphobe.

But this month, major criticism has been levied against radical Islamists.

The radical Islamists are Hamas.
The ones criticizing Hamas are The Islamic Fatwa Council.
The criticism is in the form of a fatwa, condemning Hamas's exploitation and oppression of Palestinians.

The ruling is more than just criticism -- it is a fatwa condemning Hamas

The unprecedented religious edict condemned Hamas for being responsible for “its own reign of corruption and terror against Palestinian civilians within Gaza.” It also ruled that it is “prohibited to pray for, join, support, finance or fight on behalf of Hamas." [emphasis added]

And while the fatwa is non-binding, the Council itself is influential. According to the Foundation for Defense of Democracies:

The Islamic Fatwa Council is a judicial body that specializes in Islamic law, represents both Sunnis and Shiites, and is chaired by Grand Ayatollah Shaikh Fadhil al-Budairi. Among several key mission objectives, the council says it strives to “reclaim the Islamic legal system from extremists, Islamists, and supporters of terrorism.” The fatwa is the first against Hamas by an accredited Islamic legal body. [emphasis added]

The English version of the fatwa shows that the Council is neither a fan of Hamas nor of Iran:

The Council also tackles issues the West avoids addressing, such as the Hamas exploitation of child soldiers...

They also condemn the use of children as human shields by Hamas:

On the issue of Israel, The Islamic Fatwa Council says that Hamas lacks popular support for its terrorist attacks:

And with Ramadan coming up, here is what the Council thinks about Hamas defiling Ramadan:

"Satan of Hamas" is a nice touch.

The document also includes source material, some of which indicate both that killing women and children is forbidden -- and that the balloons from Gaza that set fire to Israeli fields are forbidden as well:

Here is a short video of Fatwa Council Spokesman Sheikh Muhammad Ali al-Maqdisi, at the end of which he suggests that Hamas put down their weapons and make peace with their "Palestinian brothers":

As to whether these rulings will have any effect, they may have an impact not only on Hamas -- but could also be problematic for Iran as well:

For Hamas, a Sunni Muslim organization, the ruling by a council led by a Sunni mufti of stature — Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdullah al-Dheeban — could have deep consequences, and the fact the council also includes al-Budairi, a Shiite cleric, is a severe blow to Hamas’ main backer Iran.

Back in 2010, Andy McCarthy, a columnist for National Review and former Assistant United States Attorney who led the 1995 terrorism prosecution against Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahma, wrote about the problem with moderate Islam:

The most frustrating thing about "moderate Islam" is that no one seems to be able to say what it entails. The so called "radicals" tell us exactly what they believe and (accurately) cite chapter and verse in the scriptures. The moderates never persuasively refute the radicals — they just say the radicals are too "extreme." This doesn't come close to making the case that the radicals have Islam wrong. If your goal is to persuade other Muslims — and everyone seems to agree that only Islam can settle its internal divisions — that's the case that has to be made.

The Islamic Fatwa Council may be taking a major step toward making that case. According to their About page:

The first objective of the Islamic Fatwa Council is to reclaim the Islamic legal system from extremists, Islamists and supporters of terrorism. Religious law is sacred and must not be abused and misused for political power.

Their ruling follows the UAE Fatwa Council and the Council of Senior Scholars of Saudi Arabia who issued similar rulings. Would these rulings have been possible if not for the Abraham Accords?

Now let's see if the Arab world is as opposed to Hamas as the Council claims.

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Abbas with members of the Supreme Constitutional Court that he appointed

During these tumultuous times of anger and angst over the future of Israel's judiciary, it is worth looking at recent changes to the judicial system under the Palestinian Authority that received next to no Western coverage.

On October 28, Mahmoud Abbas issued a presidential decree creating the Supreme Council of Judicial Bodies and Authorities.

This Council has full control over the the Palestinian Authority‘s judicial system - the Supreme Constitutional Court, the Supreme Judicial Council, the Court of Cassation, the Supreme Administrative Court, the judicial authority of the security forces, the Shariah Judicial Council, the ministry of justice and the attorney general.

The head of this council? Mahmoud Abbas, himself!

Abbas has complete and direct control over the entire Palestinian judiciary.

A few years ago he created the Supreme Constitutional Court and handpicked all the members, he then used that court to dissolve the Palestinian Legislative Council so he could be the head of the legislative branch of the government as well as the executive. And he uses his power to create hundreds of laws by presidential decree using the excuse that there is no legislative branch to do the job.

The media is silent. NGOs are nearly silent (Amnesty gave this a brief mention in their annual report, Human Rights Watch didn't mention it at all.)

A website by the European Council on Foreign Relations, called Mapping Palestinian Politics, describes in detail how Mahmoud Abbas has complete control of nearly every important Palestinian institution.

Since succeeding Yasser Arafat as Palestinian leader in 2004, Abbas has consolidated his grip on power within the Palestinian Authority (PA), the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), and Fatah. Over the years, Abbas has steadily purged or constrained his political rivals, monopolised the various Palestinian decision-making processes, and pursued increasingly authoritarian measures to stifle dissent and shrink the space for Palestinian democracy and popular participation.

Why is there so much global criticism of Israel considering changes to the judiciary, and near complete silence when the Palestinian president rips up any pretense of a division of powers and installs himself as the head jurist as well as dictator? More importantly, how can anyone look at the Palestinian Authority and think that this should become an independent state when it its current state it runs roughshod over the rights of its citizens?

The bigotry of low expectations hurts Palestinians. And it is ingrained in the world's psyche - mostly because the Palestinian leaders have encouraged this bigotry by blaming all of their problems on the Jews.

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Israel has slowed down its raids in Palestinian towns recently.

It may be because of Ramadan - or it may be because the PA agreed to do its job and assert control.

The Palestinian security forces arrested a number of fugitives wanted by Israel, including a leader in the Al-Quds Brigades of Islamic Jihad. Members of terror groups fired heavily towards the police district headquarters in Jenin and young men targeted the building with Molotov cocktails in response

Video clips on social media documented showed heavy shooting.

While the PA has claimed that they have stopped security coordination with Israel, it looks like they realized they have no choice but to assert authority in the West Bank or lose it.

Then again, we haven't seen them arrest any members of the Al Aqsa Brigades, which is linked to the ruling Fatah party. If we see that, then we'll know that the PA is somewhat serious about fighting terror, and not just trying to ensure that armed militias don't take over.

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Passover fundraiser - Donate to EoZ!

This week, EoZ reached another milestone - 50,000 Twitter followers!

This is just one way that my message of cutting straight to the truth about Israel and the Jewish world has been spreading around the world.

It is not unusual for my tweets to get hundreds of responses. They receive well over a million views every month. And the responses show that the haters are frustrated when they see my memes, cartoons, infographics and regular text tweets go viral.

EoZ isn't only tweets, though. I write long form articles with perspectives and research that you cannot find anywhere else. I am honored that so many of my readers are well-known professors, authors, and intellectuals who come to EoZ to learn things they didn't know.

This year I have also been featuring many posts showing what happened in Israel 75 years ago, in the months before Israel was reborn.

My book PROTOCOLS continues to sell, which is very cool considering I cannot easily promote it while maintaining my anonymity. It has a perfect five star rating! I also released the audiobook version this year. More is planned!

My Instagram page, where I have been saving my graphics, has been steadily growing as well.

I also have my stalwart writers Daled Amos, Varda Epstein and PreOccupied Territory. Not to mention Ian, who always does an amazing job with his twice-daily linkdumps, ensuring that EoZ is a one-stop shop for all the important news and commentary from all over. I can't pay them much but I do give them some payments from my donations to show I appreciate them.

The blog does cost a great deal of time and money (databases for research, subscriptions, Internet expenses, domain names, flowers for Mrs. Elder and so forth).

So please donate to help defend Israel!

To donate with PayPal you can click here, or you can set up a monthly payment schedule with the form on my right sidebar.

You can buy me an iced tea. (I never liked coffee!)

If you prefer, you can become a patron with Patreon here.

You can buy my book - or audiobook.

You can also send me an Amazon gift card to my email elder@elderofziyon.com .

If you want to make a large donation but wish it to be tax-deductible, there are a couple of ways to do that. Contact me and we can see what can be done.

Thank you as always, and have a wonderful Passover!

Buy the EoZ book, PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism today at Amazon!

Or order from your favorite bookseller, using ISBN 9798985708424.

Read all about it here!

03/28 Links Pt2: Why critical race theory could be dangerous for America's faith-based communities; Meet the Starbucks Union Activist Who Called a Palestinian Terrorist a 'Freedom Fighter'

From Ian:

Lauder to Biden: ‘This is Not Germany in 1938; This is the United States in 2023’

Back in 2016, Ronald S. Lauder, president of the World Jewish Congress, presented the Theodor Herzl Award—the organization’s highest honor—to then-Vice President Joe Biden. On March 26, he penned a letter to the now US president, whom he called “a friend of the Jewish people,” about the need to curb rising antisemitism.

“Today, America is witnessing the most frightening increase in antisemitism since the end of World War II,” Lauder wrote in the letter appearing as an ad in the New York Post. “Jews make up just 2% of the US population, but are the target of more than half of all religious hate crimes.”

“Jews have been murdered, beaten and spat upon—especially Orthodox Jews—with almost complete silence from political leaders and the media,” added Lauder.

He noted that it is common for celebrities, athletes and even members of Congress to say “the most outrageous anti-Jewish slurs,” and Jewish students are “singled out” on campuses for their Jewish names or defense of Israel’s right to exist.

“Jewish enrollment at elite schools has plummeted. Jewish students are excluded from clubs and denied positions,” he wrote. “This is not Germany in 1938; this is the United States in 2023. Mr. President, only you can stop this rising tide of hatred against the Jewish people.”

Lauder urged Biden to state “in the strongest language” that hating Jews is dangerous and un-American. He also called on the US president to do three things.

Why critical race theory could be dangerous for America's faith-based communities - Opinion

CRT demonizes success, arguing that achievement is the product of exploitation and also undermines free speech and enforces ideological conformity by forcefully shutting down views and opinions that put the individual in the center, and encourages individual accountability and responsibility.

One of the core tenets of CRT and intersectionality is that a society based on “meritocracy” is inherently white supremacist. For America to continue to flourish, excellence should be rewarded, not used as ammo in cultural wars and ideological debates.

AP classes are being eliminated, grades are disappearing from schools, and SAT scores for college admission are going extinct. For decades these metrics have helped assess students’ individual abilities and tailor programs for their specific needs and talents. Meritocratic excellence, familiar to faith-based communities, is being systematically replaced with Marxist-inspired equity.

CRT pits group against group and foments hatred for the “other”.

Understanding that all people have the power and resources to fulfill their potential, regardless of their ethnic background, is imperative for a diverse society to flourish. Individuals are capable of great evil, great courage, and everything in between. An oppressor/oppressed binary pits people against people, without distinction.

Efforts by radical left activists in shaping California’s ethnic studies curriculum demonstrates how CRT/intersectionality functions in the school system. Jews and Asians, although minorities and regardless of their individual achievements and life circumstances, are considered “white adjacent” and are therefore beneficiaries of the white power structure and contribute to the oppression of people of color. This framework disallows merit, the complexity of American society, and causes bigotry and ignorance.

Americans who choose to prioritize traditional values, are seen as “oppressor adjacent” and promoters of a “white supremacist” ideal. The result is that instead of leading to a more equal and better society under CRT/intersectionality the oppressors become oppressed, and the cycle of hate continues.

America is too diverse, complex, and open-hearted to be pitting fellow Americans against each other. It goes against the ethos of America’s “Golden Rule” of interpersonal respect and tolerance.

America was founded by people fleeing religious persecution. We built a society rooted in religious tolerance. The spread of CRT is a danger to every person of faith. We need to build alliances between Jews, Christians, Muslims, Hindus, and everyone who believes in objective right and wrong, and the traditional values on which this country is built.

Meet the Starbucks Union Activist Who Called a Palestinian Terrorist a 'Freedom Fighter'

The activist helming the Starbucks union drive has praised a convicted Palestinian terrorist as a "freedom fighter," called for replacing Israel with Palestine, and urged labor federations to reject police unions.

Jaz Brisack, a former Rhodes Scholar who began unionizing Starbucks while on the payroll of the Service Employees International Union, catapulted into far-left politics as a full-scholarship student at Ole Miss. While there, she defended Palestinian terrorist Rasmea Odeh as a "political prisoner" in a 2017 op-ed letter published by the student newspaper. Brisack wanted to repudiate a story by a fellow student who referred to Odeh as a terrorist with communist ties—a description Brisack called an "ad hominem attack."

"Odeh has been targeted in an attempt to undermine her advocacy for Palestinian liberation," Brisack wrote. Odeh was convicted of coordinating two bombings, including one at an Israeli supermarket that killed two students and injured seven—including an Auschwitz survivor—and admitted her involvement to a Lebanese journalist.

"She has called attention to the fact that Israel, guilty of the crime of apartheid, illegally occupies Palestinian land and subjects the Arab population to countless indignities," Brisack continued.

These declarations could hurt 25-year-old Brisack’s star turn as the U.S. Senate spotlights her organizing efforts this week. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) on Wednesday will convene a committee hearing to grill former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz over allegations the company retaliated against Brisack and other union organizers. Schultz, who got his start as a Starbucks employee before transforming the company into a global conglomerate, recently stepped down from his interim leadership post.

Brisack’s praise for the Palestinian terrorist Odeh aligns with the progressive and anti-Israel bent of her other political beliefs, which include support for defunding police and boycotting and sanctioning Israel. Odeh became a celebrity cause for American progressives when the Trump administration deported her in 2017 for lying to obtain a fraudulent visa.

Cool Jewish unity posters from the '70s

I have been quite disturbed by the partisanship and division happening in Israel, and while I have some opinions, I have been mostly reluctant to discuss them because I try to be more about what every Zionist can agree upon, not division.

So I enjoyed this 1974 poster from the Joint Israel Appeal.

(I had tweeted it and Ian put it in the earlier linkdump.)

Apparently I'm not the only one who likes it. It was the cover of a 2013 book.

Here's another on the same theme from 1975.

Buy the EoZ book, PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism today at Amazon!

Or order from your favorite bookseller, using ISBN 9798985708424.

Read all about it here!

Today, a new law is on the Palestinian books.

The General Intelligence Law No. 17 of 2005 said said that the head of Palestinian general intelligence must be less than 60 years old and can only remain in the job for three years, perhaps extending to four. (Oh, and he also is not allowed to be married to a non-Arab woman.)

But Mahmoud Abbas likes his loyal intelligence chief, "Major General" Majed Faraj, who has been in office for well over three year now, so Abbas changed the law as an early 60th birthday present to him.

Faraj now can stay in office forever, or until Abbas removes him. He is also now promoted to the rank of minister.

That's it.

No legislative meetings, no committees to discuss the law, no input from the the PLO Executive Committee or Palestinian National Council or Palestinian Central Council or Palestinian cabinet.

Mahmoud Abbas decided to change a law, he wrote it, he implemented it and that's it.

At a time that Israel is struggling over balancing powers between the legislative and judicial branches, there are no such problems in the Palestinian territories.

Because they have a dictator who decides everything.

And no one - media, politicians, pundits, diplomats - seems to be gnashing their teeth over this.

Buy the EoZ book, PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism today at Amazon!

Or order from your favorite bookseller, using ISBN 9798985708424.

Read all about it here!

03/28 Links Pt1: A ‘resistance’ coup just defeated Israeli democracy; Greece thwarts terrorist network planning attacks on Jews; Jordan offers 'sins of the Nakba' tours in west Jerusalem

From Ian:

Jonathan Tobin: A ‘resistance’ coup just defeated Israeli democracy

Implications for the future
Will that happen every time the right wins an election from now on? Probably. That means not only will the juristocracy defend its power, but its supporters are permanently committed to thwarting the will of voters who may continue to outnumber them in the future.

And how will a theoretical government of the left—assuming, as many now do, that Lapid and his allies can win the next election—react if large numbers of right-wing opponents try to play the same game? If the debate over the disastrous Oslo Accords and the 2005 Gaza withdrawal are any gauge of their behavior, they will crack down on their opponents in ways that Netanyahu hesitated to do this year with widespread jailing of dissidents. Dismissals from the army of those who refuse orders rather than the gentle lectures the anti-Bibi refuseniks got will also be likely.

While the left threatened violence against their opponents and even civil war if they didn’t get their way about judicial reform, who really believes they will hesitate to initiate one if they are in power and the right rises up in the streets the way we’ve just witnessed?

Similarly, the implications for Israel’s foreign relations are equally ominous. The opposition has essentially legitimized American involvement in Israel’s domestic politics even on an issue that had nothing to do with the questions of territory and peace. That weakens the country’s independence at a dangerous time when, as Netanyahu has been trying to point out, the threat from Iran is growing.

What’s more, Netanyahu’s opponents have (whether they realize it or not) also legitimized arguments aimed at denying that Israel is a democracy. While his foes think that this will only apply to times when the right wins elections, they may come to realize that to the antisemites who assail the Jewish state in international forums and in American politics where the intersectional left is increasingly influential, that will also apply to governments led by parties not named Likud.

Ultimately, Israel’s citizens—whether through democratic elections or mob actions that break governments and Knesset majorities—will determine their own fate. And those who look on from abroad must accept the outcome of these struggles and continue to support the Jewish state against its enemies.

Yet far from defending Israel from authoritarian forces, the protesters have established a precedent that will haunt future governments of all kinds and shake the foundation of its democracy. Whether that damage can be undone remains an open question.

Ruthie Blum: Benjamin Netanyahu’s risky leadership move

Members of Israel’s national camp waited anxiously throughout Monday for the speech that Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu was slated to deliver in the morning. The announcement that he was going to address the nation followed the previous night’s “spontaneous” anti-government demonstrations over the firing of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

It also virtually coincided with the declaration by the head of the Histadrut labor federation of a general strike. This imposition of an illegal shutdown of the economy, which included the closing of banks, minimizing of hospital care and even the halt to all departures at Ben-Gurion Airport, was given a voluntary tailwind by the private sector.

Though the protest movement had already proclaimed that it was launching a full “week of paralysis” to step up its campaign to cause the ruling coalition to collapse, the entry of the Histadrut into the fray was an additional twist to the carefully plotted and meticulously executed coup.

The initial excuse used by protest leaders to rile up frightened fellow travelers was judicial reform. The latest pretext for their heavily funded hate-fests was Gallant’s dismissal.

Despite the fact that his successful showing in the Likud Party primary (ultimately earning him the coveted defense portfolio) was due largely to his stance on judicial reform, he was intimidated by insubordinate IDF reservists threatening not to serve in a “dictatorship-in-the-making.”

‘There can be no civil war’: Full text of Netanyahu’s announcement on overhaul pause

Following is the full English translation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s televised address on March 27, 2023, as provided by the Government Press Office, in which he announced he was delaying his government’s planned far-reaching overhaul of the judiciary.

Citizens of Israel,

Three thousand years ago, here in Jerusalem, the judgement of Solomon took place. Two women came before King Solomon. Each one claimed that she was the real mother of the infant. King Solomon commanded that a sword be brought and that the baby be cut in half. One woman was prepared to rend the baby in two while the other woman absolutely refused and insisted that the infant stay alive and whole.

Today as well, both sides in the national controversy claim to love the infant, to love our country. I am aware of the enormous tension that is building between the two sides, between two parts of the nation, and I am attentive to the desire of many citizens to dispel this tension.

However, there is one thing that I cannot accept. There is an extremist minority that is prepared to tear our country to pieces. It is using violence and incitement, it is threatening to harm elected officials, it is stoking civil war, and it is calling for refusal to serve, which is a terrible crime.

The State of Israel cannot exist without the IDF and the IDF cannot exist with refusal to serve. Refusal to serve by one side will lead to refusal to serve by the other. Refusal to serve is the end of our country. Therefore, I demand that the heads of the security services and of the army vigorously oppose the phenomenon of refusal to serve, not contain it, not understand it, not accept it – but put a stop to it.

Those who call for refusal to serve, those who call for anarchy and violence, are knowingly cutting the baby in two. But the overwhelming majority of Israeli citizens on both sides of the divide do not want to rend the infant. They are unwilling to cut the nation in two.

Journalist Rula Jebreal tweeted about the large rallies in Tel Aviv, "This reminds me of the 1st intifada/popular uprising of 1987... Palestinians gathered under the banner: ”End the occupation, No annexation...yes to PEACE.” Then she added that "I was 15 during the First Intifada. We protested daily & peacefully in Jerusalem."

This has been a theme among Israel haters, that the first intifada was peaceful. They never mention that about 200 Israelis were killed in these "peaceful" times. Middle East Monitor, an anti-Israel English language publication, says, "It involved many forms of civil disobedience, including: massive demonstrations, general strikes, refusal to pay taxes, boycotts of Israeli products, graffiti and underground 'freedom schools', as well as unarmed forms of resistance such as stone-throwing and Molotov cocktails."

Not exactly what one would call "peaceful."

What about the slogans Jebreal claims they chanted?

It seems unlikely that they chanted "no to annexation," since that wasn't a talking point then. But did they say "yes to PEACE"?

I found a fairly comprehensive list of slogans chanted by Arabs in the first intifada. The very few that mentioned peace were veiled threats, such as "before we touch the trigger, we raise the call of peace

....Raise the flag of peace and cheer for freedom, and adhere to the gunpowder."

But there were lots of slogans that called for violence.

- Khaybar, Khaybar, O Jews, Muhammad's army will prevail

- Say Allahu Akbar, Muslim, say Allahu Akbar, the head of the Zionist is destroyed

- Say takbeer, O Muslim, say takbeer, the throne of the Zionist was destroyed

Glory and eternity to the holy martyrs

O martyr, relax, relax, and we will continue the struggle

With the spirit and blood we will sacrifice you, O martyr

With soul and blood, we will sacrifice you, O Palestine

The only good thing you can say about the first intifada is that it wasn't nearly as violent as the second intifada. But it wasn't peaceful and it wasn't in any way equivalent to the massive demonstrations in Israel over the past two months.

Buy the EoZ book, PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism today at Amazon!

Or order from your favorite bookseller, using ISBN 9798985708424.

Read all about it here!

From AP:

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft faced the camera during a video call, pointing to a small, sky-blue lapel pin on his blazer.

The pin is the symbol of a $25 million “Stand Up to Jewish Hate” campaign launched Monday by the 81-year-old billionaire through his Foundation to Combat Antisemitism, aiming to raise awareness nationwide about soaring incidents of antisemitism online and in person. The campaign will feature emotive ads to be introduced by stars of top television shows such as NBC’s “The Voice,” and the “Kelly Clarkson Show,” and Bravo’s “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.”

“This little blue square represents the Jewish population in the United States – 2.4%,” said Kraft, who was raised in Brookline, Massachusetts, in an observant Orthodox Jewish family. “But we’re the victims of 55% of the hate crimes in this country.”

"Jewish hate"??? That sounds like a campaign against Jewish bigots! It is not a synonym for antisemitism - it is a phrase antisemites would say!

The American Jewish Committee, which has joined this campaign, talks about "combating anti-Jewish hate" on its own webpage. So which is it - are we fighting Jewish hate or anti-Jewish hate?

Why couldn't the slogan be "stand up to Jew-hatred" or even "stand up to antisemitism"?

How could a $25 million campaign allow its key message to be so muddled?

The blue square is likewise not the clearest message. If someone has to explain what the logo means, it is not a good logo.

I'm all for fighting antisemitism, but any campaign needs a clear theme that is easy to understand without any need for explanation. This isn't it.

A campaign against antisemitism certainly shouldn't choose a slogan that could easily be written on the front page of Stormfront without irony.

Buy the EoZ book, PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism today at Amazon!

Or order from your favorite bookseller, using ISBN 9798985708424.

Read all about it here!