Israel's image problem - and my goals

Donny writes an interesting comment.

When "everyone" is wrong that may very well mean you are correct BUT it also means that you at the very least, have an image problem. In many cases, regardless of the circumstances, factions and consipriacies against an issue, if it is perceived to be the case, it very well may become the case regardless. Your blog is full of how the west is anti-Israel or even anti-semitic and that they are all wrong or are by interest groups turned in opinion. As I said, you may be correct and in many instances I agree with your comments but in the end I always come back to the basic line that I have been taught with two quotes. The first one is "....where there is smoke there is fire" thus if the vast majority of the media and governments smell smoke there has to be substance, and second is a very famous Brussels saying that "it is not a cat until it meows". That basically means that if everyone thinks something is wrong, bad or whatever - it is until the result says otherwise.

At present, Israel has an image problem, that is the point I am making. That image problem exists if you, I or others like it or not. Right now the focus is not on fixing that image problem but rather attempting to prove each individual case, event or action as correct, justified, better than it is. In addition, I see a lot of comparisons being made and what is often referred to as 'equivilance' by showing how "bad" it is somewere else. Neither works and, in my honest opinion, looks instead like stubborn defiance and only "reactive".

It is not always true that when there is smoke, there is fire. A woman who is abused by her husband is not automatically partially at fault because her husband has a laundry list of reasons that she deserves to be punished. Even if she really did burn his steak once.

However, it is true that image is important, and hugely so.

Admittedly, Israel has almost no clue how to make its case. If they did, I would have a much easier job here!

Of course it has an image problem. Some of it is self-inflicted (for example Lieberman should not be a diplomat, although his ideas definitely need to be heard.) Some of it is the result of a relentless campaign (not coordinated, it is not a conspiracy) of demonization that has worked over the years. Some of it is Western reflexive self-hatred among the Left. Some of it is the sheer disproportionate interest in Israel from both fans and foes - a vacuum that must be filled by the media. Some of it is an ironic result of Israeli freedom of expression making self-criticism appear to be disproportionately large. Some of it is, to be frank, Jew-hatred masquerading as anti-Zionism. Much of it is from a remarkably successful re-framing of the debate that occurred after 1967 where the false idea of Israel as a colonial state gained currency as fact, and the idea of Israel as a successful example of national self-determination fell by the wayside.

I try, in my own small way, to counteract these forces. No one is claiming that Israel is perfect, and no one claims that there is not a tension between being a Jewish state and a democracy. My goal (I guess one of them) is to put things in a more proper perspective: even if one claims that Israel is immoral, then her enemies are infinitely worse by virtually every measure. If Israel is to be demonized, then it is hypocritical to ignore the neighborhood she is in. The media rarely notes this basic fact; neither do they compare Israel's actions while in a state of war with those of European governments when at peace. (To bring up Lieberman again, he made a very good point when he noted that Israel never banned the burqa like France or limited the building of minarets on mosques like Switzerland!)

Western governments sort of get it because they realize that the very same arguments used against Israel can be used against them one day as well, but they will rarely take Israel's side publicly because of a number of factors like desire for good relations with the Muslim and Arab worlds and fear of terrorism.

Whether I am successful at it or not, I try to post articles and essays that are meant to force people to look at the Middle East with a different viewpoint, one that is not obscured by the perpetual smoke machine. Some are necessarily reactive. I need to consciously try to write more pro-active posts, as playing defense is not a recipe for victory. But above all I want to put forth a viewpoint that, I believe, has the additional quality of being the truth.

In my own possibly naive way, I hope that the truth will win. And not only for Israel's sake, but for the sake of the entire free world.

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Louisiana native American tribe loves Israel

From Isrealli, written by the Israeli Consulate of Houston's press officer:

...when I heard that the Coushatta Native American Tribe of Louisiana called the Consulate asking for a meeting, I hate to say it, but my first thought was “wow, never a dull moment!” And boy was I right..but not in the way I was expecting, but rather, it was the beginning of a series of events that exceeded even my wildest expectations.

In addition to their beautiful casino, the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana holds nearly 700 acres of land in Louisiana, and operates a beautiful resort including a world-class golf course, stunning accommodations, and yes, a Vegas-style casino with over 2,800 slots, and 70+ table games giving everyone ample opportunities to(hopefully) yell out: JACKPOT!

The relationship that has been built over the last two years between Israel and the Coushatta is nothing short of amazing. And it all started with that phone call. The Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana, Kevin and David Sickey, informed the Consul General (at the time Asher Yarden) that they wished to proclaim an Affirmation of Friendship between their tribe and the State of Israel. Hm, where are they going with this, we asked ourselves?

The Coushatta went on to tell us that they felt a special bond with the Jewish people and Israelis, who, like the native Americans, have faced centuries of discrimination, relocation, and prejudice, all while feeling a strong sense of nationalism, and a desire to return to their historical homeland, a homeland to which they feel a strong spiritual connection. I am happy to say that just as the Jewish people returned to their historical homeland in 1948, the members of the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana returned to theirs in 1972, receiving state recognition, followed by US federal recognition the following year, in 1973.

After hearing this pitch, I. Was. Floored. What an incredible parallel to draw, one that hadn’t even remotely occurred to me before. We were in, and we had NO idea what we were getting ourselves into. And I mean that in the best possible way.

What followed was a series of meetings leading up to a huge event to take place on their reservation in Louisiana entitled Affirmation of Friendship 2008, during Israel’s 60th year of independence. Since this wonderful event nearly two years ago, the friendship and the bond between not only our office, but the State of Israel and the Coushatta has only grown. The economic office for the US Southern region continues to work with them on developing trade and agricultural opportunities between Israel and the Tribe, their leadership has since visited Israel, and a close friendship remains between our staff and theirs. May 14th is now a Coushatta national holiday recognizing Israel’s independence and, more than anything, it just goes to show that no matter how disconnected two peoples seem, with a positive attitude and a true desire for friendship, anything can be accomplished.

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Egyptian men want Chinese wives

This article from Al Arabiya is, let's say, intriguing:

Egyptian young men have recently been seeking to marry Chinese women in an attempt to escape the hefty costs of a traditional Egyptian marriage as well as have partners well known for their loyalty as wives.

A considerable number of Egyptian men, mostly over the age of 35, contacted the Chinese embassy in Cairo to inquire about the possibility of marrying Chinese women. Others have been seeking Chinese brides through matchmaking websites.

The financial condition of Egyptian youths is the major reason behind their preference of Chinese brides. In a traditional Egyptian marriage, the groom is required to pay dowry, buy an apartment, and give the bride a diamond ring or a gold gift. On the other hand, Chinese women do not have any conditions when it comes to money.

In addition, many Egyptian men view Chinese women as perfect wives since because they are pretty, active, and smart as well as very skilled in cooking and other household chores. They are also well trained in martial arts, thus capable of defending themselves as well as their husbands.

Obedience and loyalty are also among the most distinguished features of Chinese women as, according to Egyptian males, their culture dictates their subordination to their husbands.

For Egyptian men, the Chinese woman has a very important advantage: her mother will not accompany her, which means the husband will be spared the trouble the mother-in-law’s interference in the couple’s life.

The phenomenon of seeking Chinese brides did not stop at major cities like Cairo and Alexandria, but extended to small towns in Upper Egypt and the Nile Delta and Egyptian families who have unmarried girls started expressing their concerns over the Chinese invasion.

The remarkable increase on the demand for Chinese wives drove Egyptian MP Salah al-Sayegh to submit a questioning to Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif.

The phenomenon, Sayegh argued, is aggravating the spinsterhood problem in Egypt, especially that recent statistics by National Center for Social and Criminological Research revealed that 28.4% of Egyptian women are unmarried and that more than 2,700 try to commit suicide because of spinsterhood.

Contrary to the MP’s view, sociology professor Dr. Samia al-Saati views the Chinese invasion as a healthy trend as it teaches Egyptian girls and their families a lesson.

“Men’s preference of Chinese wives will teach girls and their families to stop draining the groom financially,” she said. “In Egypt, marriage is all about fake appearances. The Chinese bride is the magical solution.”

Saati added that experience proved that such marriages are, in most cases, successful since Chinese women proved to be better wives.

“Chinese women manage the house and raises children in a much better way than Egyptian girls who are very spoilt and allow their families to interfere in her affairs, which contributed to the rising divorce rates.”

Sociology professor Dr. Suhair Sanad begs to differ. She argues that seeking this kind of marriages is nothing more than a form of delinquency like unofficial (urfi) marriage, in which the couple writes their own marriage contract, or blood marriages, in which they mix their blood together as a sign of creating an eternal bond.

“These marriages indicate the deterioration of values in society and the extreme lack of trust between Egyptian men and women.”

This lack of trust, she explained, is largely because the girl feels insecure about the man she is about to marry, so her family starts burdening him with exaggerated financial demands. This, in turn, makes him feel exploited.

Sanad also argues that the marriage between an Egyptian man and a Chinese is not likely to be successful.

“There is a huge gap as far as culture and values are concerned, and there is also the language barrier.”

Dr. Mustafa Ghalwash, professor of theology at al-Azhar University, stated that marriage with a Chinese woman is not valid.

“A Muslim man should basically marry a Muslim woman, but if he has to marry a non-Muslim then she has to belong to one of the religions endorsed by Islam, not a pagan religion.”

Ghalwash called upon parents to go easy on suitors and not to drain them financially. He cited a saying in which prophet Mohamed advises parents to accept the suitor as long he is religious and well-mannered.

‘The prophet also said that the bride with the lesser dowry is more blessed.”

If any non-Egyptian would use any of the many stereotypes listed throughout this article, he or she would be branded a bigot.

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Report: Denmark's foreign minister apologizes for Mohammed cartoons! (updated)

According to Al Arabiya (Arabic), Denmark's Foreign Minister Lene Espersen has apologized to the Muslim world on behalf of her nation for the cartoons of Mohammed that were published in Danish newspapers.

She met with Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the Sheikh of Al Azhar University in Egypt.

The report further states that she said her government "will not allow the repetition of such abuses of the Islamic religion or its symbols....The cartoons did not reflect the position of the Government of Denmark."

She met with al-Tayeb in his office today. She told him that the Government of Denmark will take steps to ensure that there will be no repeat of such graphics, or abuse of the Islamic religion, in the future.

Al-Tayeb said "This is a positive step in the right direction towards improving the relationship between the Muslim peoples and the West....The problem of the West is that they do not understand the fact that moderate Islam rejects violence, and that the essence of Islam is tolerance and acceptance of others and peaceful coexistence among all peoples." He added, "Islam does not exclude any other cultures."

This story seems a bit at odds, but not entirely, with the official position of the Foreign Ministry of Denmark stated only a couple of weeks ago, on the occasion of a book being published in Denmark that was reproducing the cartoons:

Of course it can no longer surprise anyone that there are people in Denmark and around the world who feel hurt when they hear that the drawings are printed again.

In light of the experience from the past five years, I have taken steps to prevent a new confrontation which will serve nobody’s good interest. This morning, I have met with the ambassadors of the OIC countries. Furthermore, I met last week with the Secretary General of the OIC, the Secretary General of the Arab League as well as foreign ministers from the Middle East and North Africa.

The Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs also has a constructive dialogue with a number of Muslim organizations in Denmark.

My key message is that we have freedom of speech in Denmark. This is a corner stone in our democracy. Accordingly, anybody has the right to write and print books as long as the content is within the framework of the law. These are basic values that we are also promoting internationally.”

At the same time, I would like to make it very clear that Denmark wants to maintain and strengthen our good and friendly relations to the Muslim world. Constructive dialogue is the way ahead.

The Danish Government respects all religious creeds and communities, including Islam as one of the world’s major religions, and the religious feelings of all people.

In the Danish statement at the United Nations General Assembly September 28th 2010 we stressed that a strengthening of mutual understanding between cultures is an important challenge and a valuable opportunity for all of us.

Did Al Arabiya get the story wrong? Did al-Tayeb exaggerate what she said? Is there a Danish law that would prohibit or limit the publication of the cartoons that would make the two statements jive? Or is something else going on?

All I can confirm is that she is on a trip to the Arab world; she was in Syria yesterday.

UPDATE: Michael from Denmark in the comments says that Espersen denies the apology. Here is the official statement:

The Danish government is well aware that many people felt deeply hurt by the cartoons. I would like once again to make it clear that this is something we find regrettable, and do not wish to see repeated.

I would like to make it clear that the Danish government respects Islam as one of the World’s major religions and we condemn any attempt to demonize groups of people on the basis of their religion or ethnic background.

Under the Danish constitution, every citizen has the right to express himself within the limits of the law without interference from the government. 

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Why does the West still respect Ha'aretz?

A couple of days ago, Ha'aretz reported that the PA approved a textbook teaching both the Zionist and Arab narratives of history that Israel had rejected. It made Israel look very bad.

Only one problem: The PA denied  the story.

But this is hardly the first time Ha'aretz reported something that turned out to be fictional.

It was Ha'aretz that started the rumor that the 18th century Jewish sage the Vilna Gaon had predicted the building of the Third Temple would commence on March 16, 2010. That story caused many angry headlines in the Arab world and put peoples' lives at risk. And it was not true.

And remember this story from Ha'aretz last April?

A new military order aimed at preventing infiltration will come into force this week, enabling the deportation of tens of thousands of Palestinians from the West Bank, or their indictment on charges carrying prison terms of up to seven years.

When the order comes into effect, tens of thousands of Palestinians will automatically become criminal offenders liable to be severely punished.

Well, it is now seven months later, and those confidently predicted mass deportations and arrests never happened - just as the IDF said at the time.

Did Ha'aretz apologize for these exclusive stories that got picked up and amplified throughout the world? Of course not. They can report whatever lies they feel like, consequences be damned.

Yet their "exclusives" still get picked up by Western reporters who respect a left-wing English-language news source that conforms to their preconceived notions of a racist Israel and oppressed, peaceful Arab population. It means that the other reporters don't have to do any real reporting to verify the stories.

And refuting the stories is not even on their radar.

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EoZ store back online

After a frustrating few days, the Elder of Ziyon CafePress store is back online.

You can now buy a mousepad and a coaster with the graphic I created yesterday of Israeli flag balloons:

You can also buy the "You Don't Need a Bris" graphic on women's underwear:

If someone chooses to misinterpret the slogan, that's not my problem!

I will probably start rotating out some of the existing products to make way for new ones - I can only offer one of every type of product in the store unless I make it a professional store, and it doesn't make enough money to justify that. So some products might not be available for much longer.

(h/t Silke for mousepad idea.)

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Western anti-semitism update (Zvi)

From Zvi:

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Incomplete and not in any particular order  


* Malmö, Sweden - October 2010  During the weekend the Jewish community in Malmö held a seminar for children at their seminar facility in Höllviken (not far from Malmö). The weekend seminar was spoiled when an angry mob of some 10 youngsters decided to attack the seminar attendees—who were mostly children. The threatening gang was screaming hate slogans including “Heil Hitler”, “Jewi pigs” and “fucking Jews are spoiling Höllviken”. In addition to the anti-Semitic verbal abuse, the gang also trespassed into the privately-owned area in order to damage property.

* Sweden - Oct 2010 editorial  In 2009, Sweden recorded its highest number of anti-Semitic incidents ever. Over the last four months, a synagogue was firebombed, a rabbi was attacked in the street, and a bomb threat was called in to a Jewish community center. 

* Norway - October 2010  Kristin Halvorsen, who on January 8th 2009 participated in a march against Israel (see above – screenshot  from an Indonesian blog) with the very same crowd who only hours earlier had attacked a peaceful pro-Israel peace rally, has yet to receive “recommendations on how to proceed” from her working group.

* Spain - September 2010  58.4% of the Spaniards think that the "Jews have much power because they control the economy and the media". Among university students this attitude encompasses the 62.2%, and among people "interested in politics" this attitude encompasses the 70.5%. ... Among those who admit to be "unpleasant towards the Jews", 17% of them attribute this attitude to the "Middle East conflict"; 29.6% of them attribute this attitude to "their religion", "their customs", " the way they are", etc.; others among them attribute this attitude to "general unpleasantness", "the power" and "the money"; 17% of them attribute this attitude to reasons they don't know. This means that only a small percentage of the Spaniards show unpleasantness towards the Jews due to "the State of Israel and its policies".  


* Germany - Sep 2010   'Al Jazeera and the Lebanese Hezbollah broadcaster are trusted more than German broadcasters,' said Jochen Mueller from a pro-integration organization, ufuq.de, told the thre day conference. 
 * Belgium - Sep 2010  Bret Stephens’ Wall Street Journal column this week concerns the thoughts of Karel De Gucht, the European Union’s trade commissioner and a former Belgian foreign minister, on Jews.  In a radio interview with a Flemish station he asserted that the current Israeli-Palestinian negotiations are doomed to failure because Jews are excessively influential in the United States and because they are not the sort of people that can be reasoned with.  


* The Netherlands - Sep 2010  The Dutch Jewish community suffered almost double the number of antisemitic incidents in 2009 than in 2008. Experts said this increase might only be “the tip of the iceberg”.   Police said the 209 cases of antisemitism were documented in the Netherlands last year, representing a 48 per cent rise year-on-year and accounting for nearly a tenth of all discriminatory incidents in the Netherlands. ... The Jewish community in the Netherlands numbers around 30,000, less than 0.3 per cent of the country’s population.  (But see update here - the way they counted the crimes changed. [EoZ])

* USA - Sep 2010   The graffiti, which included swastikas and references to gas chambers, was found Sept. 17 at Northwest Yeshiva High School.

* USA - Sep 2010  Former CNN anchor Rick Sanchez has apologized to Daily Show host Jon Stewart for the career killing comments he made last week, comments that, according to his wife, were caused by exhaustion. [because he could not possibly be an idiot who actually believes that Jews control everything, right? -Zvi]

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I would add something that got little coverage outside New York: in Brooklyn on Monday, a few members of the Westboro Baptist Church waved signs (among them "Your Rabbi is a whore") outside various synagogues and yeshivas.

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Ahmadinejad extends his Lebanese visit one day

From Ya Libnan:

As-Safir newspaper reported on Wednesday that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has extended his visit to Lebanon until Friday to meet with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is expected to visit Lebanon on Friday.

As Safir’s report was not confirmed by other dailies in Lebanon, but the paper is known to be closely linked to Iran and Syria.

Outside of Hezbollah and its allies, the Lebanese are more than wary about the trip:

Several Lebanese politicians and members of civil society issued an open letter to Iran’s president, accusing him on the eve of his official visit to Lebanon of meddling in the country’s affairs.

The letter was signed by some 250 people, among them former MPs close to the Western-backed parliamentary majority, doctors, teachers and journalists. It lashed out at Mahmoud Ahmadinejad over Iran’s support of Hezbollah.

“One group in Lebanon draws its power from you … and has wielded it over another group and the state,” said the letter.

“You are repeating what others have done before you by interfering in our internal affairs,” the letter added, referring to Tehran’s financial and military backing of Hezbollah, considered a proxy of Iran.

And they have good reason to be:

[H]is trip has sparked criticism among Lebanon’s parliamentary majority who see it as a bid to portray Lebanon as “an Iranian base on the Mediterranean.”

Prior to departing Tehran, Ahmadinejad said that the purpose of his visit to strengthen relations with Lebanon.

“Lebanon is the focus point of Resistance and standing against those who demand too much,” Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying on the state television’s website prior to departing to Lebanon.

Ahmadinejad looks at Lebanon not as an independent country, not as a shining example of co-existence between Christians, Muslims and Druze, not as a small nation under stress for internal divisions and complex political alliances. No, to Iran, Lebanon serves one purpose and one purpose only: as "resistance" against Israel.

It is no surprise that some Palestinian Sunni groups, unlike many of the Lebanese Sunnis, are supporting Ahmadinejad's visit.

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IFJ condemns Hamas over closing journalists syndicate

From the IFJ:

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today condemned the action of the Hamas Internal Security department which closed down the office of the Palestinian Journalists' Syndicate (PJS) in Gaza, accusing them of ‘inexcusable intrusion" in the internal affairs of Palestinian journalists.

"The action by the Hamas government is a violation of journalists' rights and a slap in the face of Palestinians who are courageously fighting for their rights and the independence of journalism in appalling conditions," said Jim Boumelha, IFJ President, who led an IFJ delegation to Palestine last month. "We join our affiliate the Palestinian Journalists' Syndicate in their strong protest and we support their demand for an investigation into this action."

"It is impossible not to conclude that Hamas authorities are targeting journalists who wish to promote solidarity and unity within the Palestinian community," said Boumelha. "It is another example of Hamas intolerance in the Gaza strip which has seen other actions to restrict media freedoms, including the closure of several media and detentions of tens of journalists."

Last month, Hamas government stopped the Gaza-based University of Al Azhar from operating a video link organised by the PJS for its members in Gaza to join their colleagues at a meeting in Ramallah with the IFJ delegation visiting Palestine after its members had been denied permission to enter Gaza by Israel.

The PJS is a member of IFJ, which explains why the IFJ was quick to condemn the action (most Hamas actions against journalists are roundly ignored or minimized by the group.)

The IFJ is very partisan, as I showed in this post from 2008.

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A more subtle form of news photo bias

There are a number of countries that grow and harvest olives. Greece, Jordan, the US, Israel and Chile all market their olive products. In 2005, seven countries accounted for 90% of all olive oil production, including Spain, Italy, Morocco, Portugal, Syria, Turkey and Tunisia.

But if you search for photos of "olives" in Daylife, which aggregates wire service photos from AP, Reuters, Getty Images, Demotix and others, you see only one place where olives are being harvested.

The last 90 photos or so all show Palestinian Arabs harvesting olives, or (in the case of Getty Images) IDF soldiers taking pictures of trees that were "cut down by Jewish settlers from the nearby settlement of Yitzhar in the northern West Bank" - without even the word "allegedly."

Most of the pictures are simply straight photos of harvesting, or of families helping the harvesters.

For the exception that proves the rule, here is a photo of Tunisians picking olives that was published two months ago - but the picture was taken in 2007.

How come only Palestinian Arab olive harvesters warrant so many news photos?

The reason is clear: olives are a symbol of how they, and they alone, are connected to the land.

Jews who have harvested olives for three millennia are considered outsiders when they pick olives in their own land - somehow they are not authentic, the news services believe. Even though we can find olive presses that are thousands of years old in ancient Jewish cities. That doesn't matter - only one people have the right to pick olives in a photogenic way, and if Jews are mentioned at all, it is with the implicit of explicit accusation that they are working to destroy the true owners of all the olive trees in the Middle East.

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Proof that the Israeli driver was at fault

From Snapped Shot:

(h/t Soccer Dad)

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Dhimmi of the day

From Iran's FARS "news" agency:

An Iranian Jewish legislator on Tuesday voiced the strong protest of the worldwide Jewish community at an Israeli court investigation into the murder of American Peace Activist Rachel Corrie by Israeli forces in the occupied Palestinian territories.

"While the world's Jews support Ms. Rachel Corrie, the UN has kept silence on the issue," Siamak Mereh Sedq regretted, criticizing the world body for keeping mum on the crimes committed by the Israeli regime on the occupied Palestinian territories.

Noting that the trial organized by the Zionist regime for Rachel Corrie's case does not come up with the standards of the international laws and regulations, Mereh Sedq called on the international organizations to break their silence on the issue and show their affection and sympathy for the peace activists all throughout the world.

Iran's token Jewish member of government says that Iran's system of justice is up to par, but Israel's fall short of international standards.

On November 11, 2004, in Sanandaj, a 14-year-old Kurdish boy died after having received 85 lashes because he broke his fast during the month of Ramadan.

I'm sure Mr. Sedq will fight tirelessly to encourage the Kurdish family to sue their government for wrongful death. After all, the racist state of Israel is allowing a wrongful-death suit against themselves, and Sedq knows for certain that Iran's system of justice is more refined than Israel's!

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PA wants ancient Jewish cemetery at Mount of Olives

From JPost: (via Daily Alert)

The Internal Security Ministry and the Housing Ministry announced that millions of Shekels will be invested to boost security at the Mount of Olives site in Jerusalem, Israel Radio reported on Tuesday.

The new plan will include hundreds of cameras and sensors, and will increase the activities of the border police at the site, according to the report.

The fact is that it is dangerous, even today, for Jews to visit the graves of their loved ones and ancestors on the Mount of Olives.

And that mountain is considered "occupied."

While many people discuss the issue of the Old City of Jerusalem in any final status discussions, there is very little written about the Mount of Olives. Yet that ancient burial ground has no sanctity nor history for Arabs or Muslims (although it has meaning for Christians.) There should be no question that this holy spot should remain under Jewish control.

And yet, last month, Ehud Barak hinted that the Mount of Olives can be placed under a "special regime" - meaning, at least partial Arab sovereignty.

Last year, JCPA published an important summary of all the issues around the Mount of Olives:

The Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives, that the Palestinians demand to transfer to their control, is the most important Jewish cemetery in the world. The area has constituted a religious and national pantheon for the Jewish people and the State of Israel, containing the tombs of the illustrious dead of the nation over the course of 3,000 years and serving as a site for Jewish gathering and prayer at the time of the ancient Temple and even prior to it.

Under Jordanian rule, Jewish access and the continued burial of Jews on the mount was prohibited, despite Jordan's explicit commitment in the Israeli-Jordanian Armistice Agreement of 1949. During the period of Jordanian rule, the cemetery was destroyed and desecrated, and 38,000 of its tombstones and graves were smashed to smithereens.

Since Jerusalem's reunification, burial ceremonies were renewed at the site and large sections of the cemetery were rehabilitated. Nevertheless, attempts by Palestinians to damage the cemetery have never totally abated, and there have been periodic attacks on Jewish mourners escorting their dead for burial.

Previous Israeli governments that consented to discuss arrangements in Jerusalem with the Palestinians rejected their demand to transfer the Mount of Olives to PA sovereignty and control. Nevertheless, those governments were prepared to give their assent to the transfer of neighborhoods that control the access routes to the mount. Should any such agreement be implemented in the future, it could endanger freedom of access to the site and continued Jewish burial there.

In any future arrangements, in order to allow continued Jewish burial on the mount, Israel must guarantee freedom of access to the site by controlling the arteries leading to it, as well as the areas adjacent to it. On the previous occasions that Israel transferred areas that included Jewish holy sites to Palestinian control, the Palestinians severely encumbered or refused to allow Jewish access to these places. Sometimes these sites were even severely damaged.

This is not an issue that Israel can compromise on.

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Hamas raids journalists syndicate, agriculture group

Today, Hamas broke into the headquarters of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate in Gaza, and then summoned the members of the Board of Directors of the Association for interrogation.

They also raided the headquarters of the Association of Agricultural Engineers of Gaza, expelling the board of directors and taking it over.

Remember when experts said that Hamas would naturally mellow when they were forced to do day-to-day running of the Gaza Strip? It sure looks like, over time, they are getting really good at this governing thing!

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Daily Mail reports what the territories are really like

A must read from Peter Hitchens at the Daily Mail. Here are some large excerpts, but read the whole thing.

It is lunchtime in the world's biggest prison camp, and I am enjoying a rather good caffe latte in an elegant beachfront cafe. Later I will visit the sparkling new Gaza Mall, and then eat an excellent beef stroganoff in an elegant restaurant.

There are dispiriting slums that should have been cleared decades ago, people living on the edge of subsistence. There is danger. And most of the people cannot get out.

But it is a lot more complicated, and a lot more interesting, than that. In fact, the true state of the Gaza Strip, and of the West Bank of the Jordan, is so full of paradoxes and surprises that most news coverage of the Middle East finds it easier to concentrate on the obvious, and leave out the awkward bits.

Which is why, in my view, politicians and public alike have been herded down a dead end that serves only propagandists and cynics, and leaves the people of this beautiful, important part of the world suffering needlessly.

For instance, our Prime Minister, David Cameron, recently fawned on his Islamist hosts in Turkey by stating Gaza was a 'prison camp'. This phrase is the official line of the well-funded Arab and Muslim lobby, who want to make sure Israel is seen by the world as a villainous oppressor.

But if you think Israel is the only problem, or that Israelis are the only oppressors hereabouts, think again. Realise, for a start, that Israel no longer rules Gaza. Its settlements are ruins.

No Israelis can be found inside its borders. And, before you say 'but Israel controls the Gaza border', look at a map. The strip's southern frontier – almost as hard to cross as the Israeli boundary – is with Egypt. And Cairo is as anxious as Israel to seal in the Muslim militants of Hamas.

Gaza was bombed on the day I arrived in retaliation for a series of rocket strikes on Israel, made by Arab militants. Those militants knew this would happen, but they launched their rockets anyway. Many Gazans hate them for this.

One, whom I shall call Ibrahim, told me how he had begged these maniacs to leave his neighbourhood during Israel's devastating military attack nearly two years ago. His wife was close to giving birth.

He knew the Israelis would quickly seek out the launcher, and that these men would bring death down on his home. But the militants sneered at his pleading, so he shoved his wife into his car and fled.

Moments after he passed the first major crossroads, a huge Israeli bomb burst on the spot where his car had been. The diabolical power of modern munitions is still visible, in the ruins of what was once a government building.

It looks as if a giant has chewed and smashed it, and then come back and stamped on it. If you can imagine trying to protect a pregnant woman from such forces, then you can begin to understand how complex it is living here, where those who claim to defend you bring death to your door.

For the Islamist rocket-firers are also the government here, supported by Iran and others who care more for an abstract cause than they do for real people. They claim that their permanent war with Israel is for the benefit of the Palestinian Arabs. But is it?

Human beings will always strive for some sort of normal life. They do this even when bombs are falling and demagogues raging. Even when, as in Gaza, there is no way out and morality patrols sweep through restaurants in search of illicit beer and women smoking in public or otherwise affronting the 14th Century values of Hamas.

So I won't give the name of the rather pleasant establishment where young women, Islamic butterflies mocking the fanatics' strict dress code with bright make-up and colourful silken hijabs, chattered as they inhaled apple-scented smoke from their water-pipes.

Their menfolk, nearby, watched football on huge, flat-screen televisions. Nor will I say where I saw the Gazan young gathering for beach barbecues beneath palm-leaf umbrellas.

Of course this way of life isn't typical. But it exists, and it shows the 'prison camp' designation is a brain-dead over-simplification. If it is wrong for the rich to live next door to the desperate – and we often assume this when we criticise Israel – then what about Gaza's wealthy, and its Hamas rulers?

They tolerate this gap, so they are presumably as blameworthy as the Israelis whose comfortable homes overlook chasms of poverty. [This is also an oversimplification. In Judea and Samaria, the Arab houses visible from the Jewish communities are almost always larger and far more opulent than the biggest "settler" homes. Of course, there are some poor Arab villages, but they are not by any means the only ones. - EoZ]

Then there is the use of the word 'siege'.

Can anyone think of a siege in human history, from Syracuse to Leningrad, where the shops of the besieged city have been full of Snickers bars and Chinese motorbikes, and where European Union and other foreign aid projects pour streams of cash (often yours) into the pockets of thousands? Once again, the word conceals more than it reveals.

In Gaza's trapped, unequal society, a wealthy and influential few live in magnificent villas with sea views and their own generators to escape the endless power cuts.

Gaza also possesses a reasonably well-off middle class, who spend their cash in a shopping mall – sited in Treasure Street in Gaza City, round the corner from another street that is almost entirely given over to shops displaying washing machines and refrigerators.

Siege? Not exactly.

What about Gaza's 'refugee camps'? The expression is misleading. Most of those who live in them are not refugees, but the children and grandchildren of those who fled Israel in the war of 1948.

All the other refugees from that era – in India and Pakistan, the Germans driven from Poland and the Czech lands, not to mention the Jews expelled from the Arab world – were long ago resettled.

Unbelievably, these people are still stuck in insanitary townships, hostages in a vast struggle kept going by politicians who claim to care about them. These places are not much different from the poorer urban districts of Cairo, about which nobody, in the Arab world or the West, has much to say.

It is not idle to say that these 'camps' should have been pulled down years ago, and their inhabitants rehoused. It can be done. The United Arab Emirates, to their lasting credit, have paid for a smart new housing estate with a view of the Mediterranean.

It shows what could happen if the Arab world cared as much as it says it does about Gaza. Everyone in Gaza could live in such places, at a cost that would be no more than small change in the oil-rich Arab world's pocket.

But the propagandists, who insist that one day the refugees will return to their lost homes, regard such improvements as acceptance that Israel is permanent – and so they prefer the squalor, for other people.

Those who rightly condemn the misery of the camps should ask themselves whose fault it really is. As so often in the Arab world, the rubbish-infested squalor of the streets conceals clean, private quarters, not luxurious and sometimes basic, but out of these places emerge each day huge numbers of scrubbed, neatly-uniformed children, on their way to schools so crammed that they have two shifts.

I wish I was sure these young people were being taught the principles of human brotherhood and co-existence. But I doubt it. On a wall in a street in central Gaza, a mural – clearly displayed with official approval – shows an obscene caricature of an Israeli soldier with a dead child slung from his bayonet.

Next to it is written in Arabic 'Child Hunter'. Other propaganda, in English, is nearby. My guide is embarrassed by this racialist foulness. I wonder how so many other Western visitors have somehow failed to mention it in their accounts.

I was still wondering about this as I travelled to the short distance to the West Bank, where Israel still partly rules. I was the recipient of hospitality in many Arab homes – a level of generosity that should make Western people ashamed of their cold, neighbour-hating cities.
And once again I saw the outline of a society, slowly forming amid the wreckage, in which a decent person might live, work, raise children and attempt to live a good life. But I also saw and heard distressing things.

One – which I feel all of us should be aware of – is the plight of Christian Arabs under the rule of the Palestinian Authority. More than once I heard them say: 'Life was better for us under Israeli rule.'

One young man, lamenting the refusal of the Muslim-dominated courts to help him in a property dispute with squatters, burst out: 'We are so alone! All of us Christians feel so lonely in this country.'

This conversation took place about a mile from the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, where tourists are given the impression that the Christian religion is respected. Not really.
I was told, in whispers, of the unprintable desecration of this shrine by Palestinian gunmen when they seized the church in 2002 – 'world opinion' was exclusively directed against Israel. I will not name the people who told me these things.

I have also decided not to name another leading Christian Arab who told me of how his efforts to maintain Christian culture in the West Bank had met with official thuggery and intimidation.

My guide and host reckons there are 30,000 Christians in the three neighbouring municipalities of Bethlehem, Beit-Sahour and Beit- Jala. Soon there will be far fewer.

He has found out that 2,000 emigrated between 2001 and 2004, a process which has not stopped. What is most infuriating about this is that many Christians in Britain are fed propaganda blaming this on the Israelis.

Arabs can oppress each other, without any help from outside. Because the Palestinian cause is a favourite among Western Leftists, they prefer not to notice that it is largely an aggressive Islamic cause.

And in this part of the world, political correctness does not exist. Picture yourself on a comfortable sofa in an apartment in a West Bank town. Nearby runs the infamous, absurd, barrier dividing the Arab world from Israel.

Think about this wall. I acknowledge that it is hateful and oppressive – dividing men from their land, and (in one case) cutting across the playground of a high school. But I have concluded that it is a civilised response to the suicide bombing that led to its being built.

My host, a thoughtful family man who has spent years in Israeli prisons but is now sick of war, has been talking politics and history. His wife, though present, remains unseen.

Suddenly he begins to speak about the Jews. He utters thoughts that would not have been out of place in Hitler's Germany. This is what he has been brought up to believe and what his children's schools will pass on to them.

The heart sinks at this evidence of individual sense mixed up with evil and stupidity. It makes talk of a 'New Middle East' seem like twaddle. So, are we to despair? I am not so sure.

Even in notorious Hebron in the south, famous for its massacres and its aggressive Israeli enclave, the mall culture is in evidence three miles from this seat of tension. And on the road from Hebron to Jerusalem stands a cut-price supermarket so cheap that Israeli settlers and Palestinians mingle happily at the cash tills.

I might add that an Arab intellectual, sitting in a Gaza cafe, recalled for me the happy days when Gazan women used to wear short skirts (now they all wear shrouds and veils) and you could get a beer by the beach.

But perhaps best of all was the comment of the Arab Israeli who mourned for 'the good old days before we had peace'. It may well be that no solution to the problem of Israel is possible, and that it will all end, perhaps decades from now, in a nuclear fireball.

But if outside politicians, more interested in their reputations than in the lives of Arabs and Israelis, would only stop their search for a final settlement, might it be that people – left to their own devices – might find a way of living together, a way that was imperfect, but which no longer involved human beings being dissolved into hunks of flying flesh by high explosive?

How many years did it take a journalist to actually write the truth about Gaza and the West Bank?

(h/t Joe)

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Jericho celebrates "10,000th" anniversary

From Al Arabiya:

The Palestinians on Sunday marked the 10,000th anniversary of the founding of Jericho, an oasis town in the West Bank that may be the world's oldest city.

The festivities included a special cabinet meeting chaired by prime minister Salam Fayyad that was to be followed by a 4.5 kilometer (2.8 mile) foot race, a military band and fireworks.

"This occasion is not only a celebration, but is part of a national project to complete the building and preparation of the Palestinian state," Fayyad said at the opening of the ceremony.

The date chosen for the anniversary -- 10/10/2010 -- was mostly symbolic.

AFP notes, however, that the planning for the event was a bust:

Jericho's 10,000th anniversary was intended to showcase the revival of the West Bank town: instead, it risks revealing how far they still have to go, say residents.

When the Palestinian Authority announced the celebrations in 2007 it was to herald the completion of new infrastructure projects and highlight the economic recovery of the ancient town after years of unrest following the 2000 uprising.

But the resulting low-key celebrations, as they enter their 11th millennium, have left even the town's mayor underwhelmed.

"I imagined that on Jericho's 10,000th anniversary we would have (US) President (Barack) Obama visit us, that we would have world leaders," Mayor Hassan Hussein said ahead of Sunday's ceremony.

Instead, the birthday for what may be the world's oldest city will be marked by a special Palestinian cabinet meeting, a military band, a 4.5-kilometre (2.8-mile) "marathon" and some fireworks.

And the one project everyone thought would be completed on time, a Russian-built museum, will not be ready for inauguration until Wednesday.

"It's going to look like a graduation ceremony," said the mayor.

[S]everal high-profile infrastructure projects that had been planned to coincide with the anniversary have not yet got off the ground.

Kamel Hemeid, the governor of Jericho and the Jordan valley, blamed this on Israeli restrictions and international donors who had not given enough aid to several projects, including a 50-million-dollar water treatment plant.

Local residents were sceptical of the government attempts to blame Israel, especially given a recent surge in tourism and the removal of the main Israeli checkpoint on the road from Jerusalem.

"The problem is not Israeli barriers," says Raed Daraghmeh, 38, the manager of a sprawling restaurant outside the 9,000 year-old ruins of Tel al-Sultan, which predate Egypt's pyramids by 4,000 years.

He blames the low-key celebration in part on a failure to involve the private sector, describing the planning as a "top-secret mission."

"I've been here, and for the past three years there has not been a single brochure to tell people that there will be an anniversary celebration."

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Good news coverage from PA newspaper

In case anyone thinks that Palestinian Media Watch only highlights stories that make the PA's media look anti-semitic, xenophobic or politically extremist, here is a counter-example of what can only be described as positive coverage - of  Jews who live in Judea and Samaria.

Last week a fire was set to carpets and copies of the Quran inside a mosque near Bethlehem. In a positive move, the PA official daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida gave prominent first page coverage to the solidarity visit of Israeli "settler rabbis" and "dozens of settler-supporters of peace" who came to the mosque to express condemnation of the arson. The PA daily published a picture of the visit and reported that the rabbis brought new copies of the Quran to replace the burned copies.

In another positive note, two days later the same PA daily showed a picture of Israeli - Palestinian coexistence by publishing a picture of a Palestinian harvesting his olives to the accompaniment of an Israeli sitting right next to him under the tree playing his guitar.

The caption to the picture was:
"Settler from Kiryat Arba plays his guitar while a [Palestinian] resident gathers the olive harvest."
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Oct. 8, 2010]

The following are texts from two articles in the official PA daily giving prominence to the rabbis' visit:

"Six settler rabbis conducted a solidarity visit to the village of Beit Fajar, near Bethlehem, bringing with them copies of the Quran. Dozens of settler-supporters of peace and hundreds of Palestinians, expressing solidarity, gathered to receive them at the entrance of the village. After handing over a box containing 20 copies of the Quran, to replace those which had been burned in the mosque, Rabbi Menahem Fruman said: 'This land is the land of peace, and Allah will take revenge on those who set fire to the mosque.'"
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Oct. 6, 2010]


"Yesterday, a delegation of Jewish religious leaders visited the town of Beit Fajar and examined the destruction caused by the fire two days ago. They emphasized that the Jewish religion is innocent of the perpetrators.

The delegation included Fruman, rabbi of the settlement of Tekoa - a settlement which is situated on the land of the Taqoa village and in which settlement construction work is continuing, as well as Rabi Aharon Lichtenstein and Rabbi Alex [sic - should be Shlomo] Riskin.
Bethlehem District Governor, Abd Al-Fatah Hamail, received the delegation inside the mosque, and said that the Palestinian side appreciates the visit, but wants real actions that will help towards the capture of the criminals who carried out [the vandalism]. He described the fire in the mosque as a cheap act, far removed from human moral values, and reflecting the degree of hatred and animosity of the perpetrators, who represent a great threat to both Palestinians and Israelis...

Hamail said that the Palestinian people desires a just peace... and emphasized that the three [monotheistic] religions are tolerant religions, far removed from fanaticism and hatred, since all of them have explicitly established freedom of religion and the need for mutual respect.
Hamail called upon the Israeli side to investigate the circumstances of this action, and questioned whether the Israeli security [forces] have really been unable so far to discover the perpetrators.

The delegation of rabbis emphasized that the aim of their visit to the town of Beit Fajar was to express solidarity with the residents and with the Muslims of Palestine. They said that those who had carried out the action are singularly far removed from the Jewish religion, and announced that the expression, "Allah is great" is an expression that belongs to all three [monotheistic] religions, since God is greater than all such actions. They emphasized that they seek peace and justice.

They expressed the hope that peace will be attained in the Holy Land, because the monotheistic religions are based on coexistence and peace."
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Oct. 6, 2010]

(h/t Joel. See also Jeffrey Goldberg's take.)

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2000 blue and white balloons to greet Ahmadinejad (updated)

Arutz-7 reports that Ayoub Kara, a Likud Druze member of the Knesset, plans to launch 2000 blue and white balloons at the northern border when Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visits Lebanon:

“We are planning to fly 2,000 balloons across the northern border to Lebanon when Ahmadinejad comes for a visit Wednesday,” Kara told Voice of Israel radio. “The balloons represent the fact that the Jewish people have come home after 2,000 years of exile, and they are not going anywhere.” Kara, who is himself not Jewish, said that he appreciated Israel's freedom and democracy – and that were it not for the Jewish people, the entire Middle East would look like Iran.

“It was my idea to organize the event, and I am hoping that thousands will come,” Kara said of the rally, set for 11 a.m. Wednesday in the northern border town of Metulla.

This is a major headline in Asharq al-Awsat.

(And, yes, I just  designed the graphic.)

UPDATE: Speaking of Israeli balloons over Lebanon, remember this? The hate-Israel crowd at Mondoweiss still believe it.

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"The Girl of Adnan and the Fortitude of the Arabs"

Looking a little further at the joint Zionist/Palestinian Arab narrative history book, I see something I had never heard of (page 9, Arab side)

[Ormsby-Gore's] report ignored an important incident which reflects the political mood in Palestine at the time. This incident was a theatrical event, “The Girl of Adnan and the Fortitude of the Arabs,” which took place in Jerusalem on the nights of the eleventh and twelfth of April 1918 as part of the Al-Rashidiyyah Forum. Lights were focused on a large relief map of Palestine. Under the map the following verses were written:

Oh land of Palestine which was blessed
Oh auspicious land of the children of the Arab nation,
Oh God’s own beloved land, don’t lose hope.
I love only you.
We will redeem you with our souls
And travel the road of travail
Gathering light from Arab East and Arab West.
Until Palestine will shine,
Radiant as the sunrise.

Now, it is true that there was a smattering of specifically Palestinian Arab nationalism before 1920. However, the mainstream Arabs of Palestine supported a pan-Syrian nationalism, and Palestine was traditionally a part of southern Syria. Even the Mufti supported a Syrian Arab state that included Palestine. So while this event may have occurred, it is an overstatement to say that it was an "important incident."

Outside of this book, I cannot find a single reference to this event on the Internet, in English or in Arabic (assuming I am translating it right.) I think it is far more likely that this event, if it happened at all, was of minor significance and its importance is being pumped up now in order to strengthen the near-myth of Palestinian Arab nationalism.

(I would also love to know what the boundaries of "Palestine" were in this "large relief map." Certainly it was not congruent with British Mandate Palestine, so the map itself would be highly interesting - begging the question of why Palestinian Arabs are no longer interested in the portions of Palestine that lay beyond the Jordan.)

One would think that a history textbook would use facts that are easily verifiable. Terming this event an "important incident" when that incident is nearly impossible to corroborate seems to be more the domain of history researchers, not textbook publishers, and if they are going to assert this event they should point to a source.

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A tiny glimpse at the Arab narrative

Commenter T34zakat points to an early English draft version of the history textbook that is supposed to show both the Arab and Zionist narrative.

I commented back that I was not thrilled with the book beginning its history with the advent of modern Zionism leading up to the Balfour Declaration, because it gave short shrift to thousands of years of Jewish history beforehand.

But glancing at the Arab narrative, I saw this gem on page 6:

The Balfour Declaration is considered a political gain for the Zionist movement at the expense of Arabs and Muslims, who originally owned the Holy Land.

How anyone can write such a sentence without their head exploding from cognitive dissonance, I have no idea. The implication is that Islam predates Judaism, which might be the Islamic perspective but no real historian could ever say that with a straight face.

If I have the stomach and the time for it, I'll keep looking through it.

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