Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Wednesday, December 29, 2021

12/29 Links Pt1: UN’s war on Jewish Jerusalem: A denial of indigenous rights; PA: All terrorists are “innocent civilians” and victims of an Israeli plot

From Ian:

UN’s war on Jewish Jerusalem: A denial of indigenous rights - opinion

The UN’s attack on Jewish Jerusalem is simply part of its wider anti-Israel strategy seeking to undermine and delegitimize the only Jewish state in the world. UN bias is well known, with its demographic makeup largely ensuring an automatic majority for every anti-Israel resolution proposed. The organization’s position not only flies in the face of 3,000 years of the city’s history, but also blatantly contradicts its own position on the rights of indigenous peoples.

It was in the Land of Israel that the Jewish people developed its unique culture and religious practices. It clearly fulfills the criteria of indigenous peoples, according to the UN’s own definitions: self-identification; historical continuity with precolonial and/or pre-settler societies; strong links to territories and surrounding natural resources; distinct social, economic or political systems; distinct language, culture and beliefs; resolve to maintain and reproduce ancestral environments and systems as distinct communities.

It is more than a mere discourtesy to avoid using the Jewish names and terms – the UN is directly contradicting its own 2007 Declaration on the Rights of Indigneous Peoples by denying Jewish indigenous rights “pertaining to their lands, territories and resources, including those which were traditionally owned or otherwise occupied or used.” By its antihistorical and unjust declarations, the UN merely discredits itself and undermines its status as a human rights body.

Jews are undeniably the indigenous people of Jerusalem, a claim supported by historical, archaeological and genetic evidence. Jerusalem, otherwise known as Zion, is the Holy City of the Jewish people. Israel’s declaration of Jerusalem as its complete and united capital city should be supported by all who care about indigenous peoples and their rights.

If the UN were to apply to some good purpose all the energy expended against Jews and their ancient and indissoluble connection to Jerusalem, so much good could be achieved.

We call on people of goodwill everywhere to urge their respective governments to stand on the side of truth and justice, and to bring change at the UN.

US Jewish Leaders ‘Appalled’ by UN Vote to Approve Funding for ‘One-Sided’ Permanent Inquiry Into Israel

Leaders of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations voiced their dismay at last week’s majority vote at the United National General Assembly (UNGA) to fund a permanent, open-ended probe into alleged human rights abuses committed by Israel.

“We are appalled by the UNGA vote to approve an open-ended commission of inquiry solely focused on Israel’s response to the conflict initiated by the Hamas terrorist regime last May, also known as Operation Guardian of the Walls,” stated Conference Chair Dianne Lob, CEO William Daroff and Vice Chair Malcolm Hoenlein on Monday. “We vehemently oppose this one-sided farce of a probe, which again demonstrates the clear anti-Israel bias in the UN body. Israel is the only member state in the history of the UN to be singled out for taking defensive military action to ensure the security of its civilian population.”

“Throughout the history of UN actions, no other investigation received authorization to spend unlimited resources without an explicit mandate,” the umbrella body representing the main US Jewish advocacy groups added.

In May — when the resolution by the UN Human Rights Council was adopted to open an ongoing investigation into incidents that occurred both before and after April 13, 2021, in the wake of the Gaza war — Israel argued that its security forces “acted with the highest ethical standards, in accordance with international law, in defending our citizens from Hamas’ indiscriminate rocket fire.”

At the UN’s Fifth Committee session on budget approvals on Thursday, 125 countries rejected a proposed amendment by the Israeli representative to defund the permanent commission of inquiry, which it considers “discriminatory and biased.” Eight countries, including the US, Hungary and Papua New Guinea voted in favor, and 34 abstained.

“No such body has been created to investigate Hamas, despite its many rocket attacks targeting Israeli civilians and infrastructure,” the Israeli representative said. “This latest commission has an indefinite time frame with broad budgetary implications and redundant staff.”

PMW: All terrorists are “innocent civilians” and victims of an Israeli plot according to the PA

Earlier this month, a 65-year-old Palestinian woman named Sa’diyya Farajallah stabbed an Israeli civilian near the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron. The 38-year-old Israeli man fought her in self-defense until she was arrested by Israeli police.

But in the PA’s fake news the story was different. According to official PA TV, Farajallah was “attacked,” “beaten,” and “wounded” for no reason by “the occupation forces.” PA TV never mentioned the fact that Farajallah had stabbed an Israeli man:
Official PA TV newsreader: “The occupation forces arrested a female civilian from Hebron after she was severely beaten (sic.) near the Ibrahimi Mosque (i.e., the Cave of the Patriarchs). Our reporter said that civilian Sa’diyya Farajallah (i.e., terrorist, wounded 1), 65, was wounded in various parts of her body as a result of being attacked by the occupation forces stationed at the military checkpoint in front of the Ibrahimi Mosque, and he noted that the occupation forces prevented the civilians and first aid teams from reaching the wounded woman who fainted and lost consciousness.”

[Official PA TV News, Dec. 18, 2021]

The fake news and the distortion of a Palestinian terror attack into an “unprovoked Israeli assault” against “an innocent Palestinian victim” is not new. Even when there is video footage of an attack, and the terrorist is clearly seen attacking his/her victims, the PA misrepresents the Israeli response as an assault or “execution.” During the terror wave in 2015-2016, also coined the Knife Intifada, when numerous stabbing attacks took place, Palestinian Media Watch exposed that the PA routinely claimed Israel fabricated the attacks and planted the knives at the scene. The PA has since continued to describe Palestinian stabbers as “unarmed” victims of Israeli “executions.”

Sa’diyya Farajallah – 65-year-old female Palestinian terrorist who stabbed and wounded an Israeli civilian near the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron on Dec. 18, 2021. The civilian fought off Farajallah to defend himself until she was arrested by Israeli border police officers.

Somehow, a Jewish state is apartheid, but Arab and Muslim states aren’t

The Palestine Forum, a group of Palestinians worldwide, issued a statement saying they wil combat the Jewishness of Israel. According to them, the concept of a Jewish state is racist and apartheid.

It’s been quite a while since I did a survey of Arab countries’ constitutions to see how they describe themselves.

Country	Description
Algeria	Algeria, land of Islam, an integral part of the Great Arab Maghreb and an Arab, Mediterranean and African country
Bahrain	The Kingdom of Bahrain is fully sovereign, independent Islamic Arab State whose population is part of the Arab nation and whose territory is part of the great Arab homeland.
Egypt	Blessed with a unique location and history, the Arab nation of Egypt is the heart of the whole world….Egypt is part of the Arab nation and enhances its integration and unity. It is part of the Muslim world, belongs to the African continent, is proud of its Asian dimension, and contributes to building human civilization….Islam is the religion of the state and…the principles of Islamic Sharia are the principle source of legislation.
Iraq	Iraq is a country of multiple nationalities, religions, and sects. It is a founding and active member in the Arab League and is committed to its charter, and it is part of the Islamic world…. Islam is the official religion of the State and is a foundation source of legislation: No law may be enacted that contradicts the established provisions of Islam. This Constitution guarantees the Islamic identity of the majority of the Iraqi people…
Lebanon	Lebanon has an Arab identity and belonging.
Libya	Islam shall be its religion and Islamic Shari’a shall be the main source of legislation.
Morocco	A sovereign Muslim State, attached to its national unity and to its territorial integrity, the Kingdom of Morocco intends to preserve, in its plentitude and its diversity, its one and indivisible national identity. Its unity, is forged by the convergence of its Arab-Islamist, Berber [amazighe] and Saharan-Hassanic [saharo-hassanie] components, nourished and enriched by its African, Andalusian, Hebraic and Mediterranean influences [affluents]. The preeminence accorded to the Muslim religion in the national reference is consistent with [va de pair] the attachment of the Moroccan people to the values of openness, of moderation, of tolerance and of dialog for mutual understanding between all the cultures and the civilizations of the world.
Oman	The Sultanate of Oman is an Arab, Islamic, Independent State
“Palestine”	Palestine is part of the larger Arab world, and the Palestinian people are part of the Arab nation. Arab unity is an objective that the Palestinian people shall work to achieve. Islam is the official religion in Palestine.
Qatar	Qatar is an Arab State, sovereign and independent. Its religion is Islam, and the Islamic Law is the main source of its legislations.
Saudi Arabia	The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a sovereign Arab Islamic State. Constitution: The Holy Qur'an and the Prophet's Sunnah (traditions)
Syria	The Syrian Arab Republic is a democratic state with full sovereignty, indivisible, and may not waive any part of its territory, and is part of the Arab homeland; The people of Syria are part of the Arab nation.
Tunisia	Expressing our people’s commitment to the teachings of Islam and its aims characterized by openness and moderation, and to the human values and the highest principles of universal human rights, and inspired by the heritage of our civilization, accumulated over the travails of our history, from our enlightened reformist movements that are based on the foundations of our Islamic-Arab identity and on the gains of human civilization, and adhering to the national gains achieved by our people,.. Tunisia is a free, independent, sovereign state; its religion is Islam, its language Arabic, and its system is republican.
United Arab Emirates	The UAE is a part of the greater Arab nation to which the UAE is linked by the ties of religion, language, history and common destiny. The people of the UAE are one people, and a part of the Arab nation. Islam is the official religion of the UAE. The Islamic Shari’a is a main source of legislation in the UAE.
Yemen	The Republic of Yemen is an Arab, Islamic and independent sovereign state whose integrity is inviolable, and no part of which may be ceded. The people of Yemen are part of the Arab and Islamic Nation.

Essentially every Arab state defines itself as Arab and/or Islamic (a huge exception is Sudan.)

If a Jewish state is inherently discriminatory, then Muslim and Arab states are at least as much so.

Now find me the articles saying that Arab or Muslim states are “apartheid.”

Palestinians are still upset over Miss Universe contestants wearing Bedouin robes. From Al Monitor:

Palestinian activists believe that Miss Universe organizers granting contestants permission to wear the Palestinian dress is theft of Palestinian culture and heritage. Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank held popular events, during which women wore the Palestinian dress and prepared traditional foods, in protest of Miss Universe contestants wearing the Palestinian traditional dress, which is considered part of the cultural identity of the Palestinian people.

On Dec. 16, the art of traditional embroidery and the practices, skills and customs associated with it were inscribed among 43 new elements on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage List.

“Women’s village clothing usually consists of a long dress, trousers, a jacket, a headdress, and a veil,” UNESCO stated. “Each of these garments is embroidered with a variety of symbols including birds, trees, and flowers. The choice of colors and designs indicates the woman’s regional identity and marital and economic status. Embroidery is a social and intergenerational practice, as women gather in each other’s homes to practice embroidery and sewing, often with their daughters. Many women embroider as a hobby, and some produce and sell embroidered pieces to supplement their family’s income.”

Palestinian Minister of Culture Atef Abu Saif said the inscription of the Palestinian embroidery on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage List is a victory for the Palestinian narrative based on the right of the Palestinian people to their land from which they were forcibly displaced during the 1948 Nakba.

Abu Saif pointed out that the Palestinian Ministry of Culture worked for over two years toward this goal by preparing the required documents that prove embroidery is a pure Palestinian heritage practiced by Palestinians for thousands of years.

Thousands of years?

One of the documents linked to in this article shows that Palestinians admits that there was no difference between the women's clothing in Jordan and Palestine - which contradicts the "unique" nature of the dress that they claim - and also admits that at least part of the women's robe (thobe) style comes from copying the dress of - a Jew!

The traditional costume designer, Khawla Asaad, confirmed that the dress indicates the Jordanian-Palestinian interdependence, because the old dress in Jordan and Palestine was one, with evidence that the two dresses were the Salti (Jordan) and the Tamari (Palestine), and the dress of the Bedouin women in Palestine and Jordan was similar in the same design, and this dress was characterized by length and high Play (chest) so that no one can tell that the woman is pregnant, and so that the woman can put valuables inside the play, concluding by saying that this dress is taken from the dress of the Virgin Mary, peace be upon her, who became pregnant and gave birth without anyone knowing it because her dress was loose.

Mary was, of course, Jewish.

Palestinians claim that their tradition of intricate embroidery is what is unique to their culture, and Israel is "stealing" it, somehow, by calling it "Bedouin" and noting that many Bedouin in the Negev - full Israeli citizens - wear such clothing.

But what if this tradition of intricate embroidery actually comes from Jews?

Jews throughout the Middle East and central Europe have been wearing intricately embroidered clothing for at least 200 years, as an exhibit at the Jewish Museum showed in 2018.

But what about earlier than that?

In the mid-1800s, Thomas de Quincey wrote an essay, "The Toilette of the Hebrew Lady," based on research by another scholar named Hartmann. He describes the tradition of Jewish embroidery going back to Biblical times.

From this early rudiment was derived, by gradual elongation, that well-known under habiliment, which in Hebrew is called Ch’tonet, and in Greek and Latin by words of similar sound. In this stage of its progress, when extended to the neck and the shoulders, it represents pretty accurately the modern shirt, or chemise–except that the sleeves are wanting; and during the first period of Jewish history, it was probably worn as the sole under-garment by women of all ranks, both amongst the Bedouin Hebrews and those who lived in cities. A very little further extension to the elbows and the calves of the legs, and it takes a shape which survives even to this day in Asia. Now, as then, the female habiliment was distinguished from the corresponding male one by its greater length; and through all antiquity we find long clothes a subject of reproach to men, as an argument of effeminacy.

According to the rank or vanity of the wearer, this tunic was made of more or less costly materials; for wool and flax was often substituted the finest byssus, or other silky substance; and perhaps, in the latter periods, amongst families of distinction in Jerusalem, even silk itself. Splendor of coloring was not neglected; and the opening at the throat was eagerly turned to account as an occasion for displaying fringe or rich embroidery.

...

The reader has been already made acquainted with the chemise, or innermost under-dress. The Hebrew ladies, however, usually wore two under-dresses, the upper of which it now remains to describe. In substance it was generally of a fine transparent texture, like the muslins (if we may so call them) of Cos; in the later ages it was no doubt of silk.

The chemise sate up close to the throat; and we have already mentioned the elaborate work which adorned it about the opening. But the opening of the robe which we are now describing, was of much larger compass–being cut down to the bosom; and the embroidery, etc. which enriched it, was still more magnificent. The chemise reached down only to the calf of the leg, and the sleeve of it to the elbow; but the upper chemise or tunic, if we may so call it, descended in ample draperies to the feet–scarcely allowing the point of the foot to discover itself; and the sleeves enveloped the hands to their middle. Great pomp was lavished on the folds of the sleeves; but still greater on the hem of the robe, and the fringe attached to it. The hem was formed by a broad border of purple, shaded and relieved according to patterns; and sometimes embroidered in gold thread with the most elegant objects from the animal or vegetable kingdoms. To that part which fell immediately behind the heels, there were attached thin plates of gold; or, by way of variety, it was studded with golden stars and filigree-work; sometimes with jewels and pearls interchangeably.

On this upper tunic, to confine the exorbitance of its draperies, and to prevent their interfering with the free motions of the limbs, a superb GIRDLE was bound about the hips. Here, if anywhere, the Hebrew ladies endeavored to pour out the whole pomp of their splendor–both as to materials and workmanship. Belts from three to four inches broad, of the most delicate cottony substance, were chosen as the ground of this important part of female attire. The finest flowers of Palestine were here exhibited in rich relief, and in their native colors, either woven in the loom, or by the needle of the embroiderer. The belts being thirty or forty feet long, and carried round and round the person, it was in the power of the wearer to exhibit an infinite variety of forms, by allowing any fold or number of folds at pleasure to rise up more or less to view, just as fans or the colored edges of books with us are made to exhibit landscapes, etc. capable of great varieties of expansion as they are more or less unfolded. The fastening was by a knot below the bosom; and the two ends descended below the fringe; which, if not the only fashion in use, was, however, the prevailing one–as we learn both from the sculptures at Persepolis, and from the costume of the High Priest.

I'm no expert on women's clothing, but this description sounds a lot like what Palestinians now claim to be their own, unique dress.

De Quincey also points out Isaiah 3, which describes women's clothing translated as "the festive robes, the mantles, and the shawls; the purses, the lace gowns, and the linen vests; and the kerchiefs and the capes."

So what, exactly, is uniquely Palestinian about Palestinian embroidery? Intricate patterns including of flowers, bright colors, loose fitting floor length robes - all of these are documented to be associated with Jewish women for literally thousands of years!

Even though no one claimed that the clothing worn by the Miss Universe contestants were Jewish, perhaps it is more accurate to say that they are associated with ancient Jewish culture more than anything "Palestinian!"

Bad stuff happening to Palestinians every day doesn't get reported, because Jews cannot be blamed

The Action Group for Palestinians in Syria reports:

8 Palestinians from Syria who hoped to emigrate to Europe drowned as their boat capsized in the Aegean Sea on Friday.

UNRWA reduced its shelter allowances for Syrian Palestinians in Lebanon, causing outrage.

The Raml camp in Lattakia was hit with electricity shortages for the fifth straight day.

In Syria, someone exploded a bomb outside the house of Palestinian Iyad Bakr, who was killed.

Palestinians in the Khan Eisheh camp in Damascus complain that the UNRWA employees treat their relatives well but mistreat everyone else.

The PLO in Syria honored retired teachers and gave them a cash prize - but they only honored teachers associated with Fatah, angering other teachers.

There was an armed clash between different Palestinian factions in the Daraa camp in Syria last week.

But when Israel cannot be blamed, these stories don't make it out of Syria or Lebanon.

12/28 Links Pt2: What really happened to the million Jews in Arab lands?; Chair of Ben & Jerry’s Board Voted as ‘2021 Antisemite of the Year’; Archbishop of Canterbury falls for anti-Israel lies

From Ian:

David Collier: What really happened to the million Jews in Arab lands?

The need for the whitewash
By the early 20th century, the attacks on these Jewish communities were brutal. Much of it was government driven, with increasing anti-Jewish legislation appearing throughout the region. But there was also a lot of anti-Jewish violence on the street. This all spiked dramatically when Israel was founded but had started long before. The growing hostility was to drive the ethnic cleansing of every major Jewish community inside Arab lands. The creation of nearly a million Jewish refugees.

For those pushing an anti-Israel agenda – and whose entire narrative is built around the non-necessity of Zionism and the tragic existence of Palestinian refugees, the true history surrounding Jewish refugees creates five key problems:
1. The image of co-existence is a myth
2. There were more Jewish refugees created than Arab refugees
3. The value of what the Jewish refugees had stolen from them was many times greater than anything the Arab refugees can claim they lost
4. The attack on the Jewish communities was unprovoked and on an innocent civilian population. The same is not true of much of the Arab population in the mandate, with many Arab villages choosing a violent confrontation that fuelled a civil conflict
5. Like it or not, many Arab families in the mandate area had simply moved into the area as the Ottoman empire collapsed – or as Zionist investment created opportunity. This means many of the Arab refugees had no real roots in the mandate area (one example – the ‘Palestinian’ hero of the 1930s, Izz ad-Din al-Qassam – was born in Northern Syria.) The same could not be said of the ancient Jewish roots in places such as Egypt, Iraq or Yemen.

All of these factors create a huge problem for anti-Israel activists. In real terms, the unprovoked destruction of the Jewish communities in the MENA region was far worse than the destruction of the Arab communities engaged in civil conflict in the mandate area.

Another *key difference* between the two – was what followed their respective departures. While Israel looked after Jewish refugees and absorbed them – so today they no longer exist – the Arabs disgracefully *CHOSE* to weaponise the refugees. Instead of absorbing them, they locked them into camps and deliberately perpetuated their suffering. Many of the grandchildren of these Arab refugees still live in camps today, solely because the Arab nations wanted to keep them that way.

There is even mind-numbing hypocrisy in the way these people are treated. People still refer to a Jordanian whose ancestors fled the mandate area in 1948 as a ‘refugee’ – but nobody would dream of doing the same to an Israeli whose ancestors were expelled from Egypt. Both of these families have new nationalities – but are treated very differently.

But even all this misdirection wasn’t enough. Even with the UN, UNHRC, Amnesty, HRW and media outlets like the BBC – all playing along with the gross deception. The anti-Israel propaganda machine needed more.

Chair of Ben & Jerry’s Board Voted as ‘2021 Antisemite of the Year’ in Watchdog Poll

The chairperson of Ben & Jerry’s board of directors and vice president of the Ben & Jerry’s Foundation has been crowned the “2021 Antisemite of the Year” by thousands of voters in a contest organized by the StopAntisemitism.org watchdog group, it was announced on Sunday.

Anuradha Mittal was selected over two other “finalists,” singer Dua Lipa and Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, following several weeks of voting. The Ben & Jerry’s chair was a leading force behind the company’s announcement in July that it would stop selling its products in the West Bank and eastern Jerusalem — areas the ice cream maker called “occupied Palestinian territory” — by the end of 2022 because doing business there was “inconsistent” with company values.

In response to the boycott move, several US states, most recently Illinois, announced that they will divest pension and public funds holdings from Ben & Jerry’s parent company, Unilever, in accordance with anti-BDS laws.

“For us and for the voters, Mittal was clearly the 2021 Antisemite of the Year,” said StopAntisemitism Founder and Executive Director Liora Rez. “The Ben & Jerry’s boycott is shamelessly biased and Mittal’s commitment to promoting her antisemitic and anti-Israel agenda is deplorable. The way she has leveraged her namesake and power in the corporate world to promote antisemitic initiatives is horrendous.”

Mittal did not immediately respond to an Algemeiner request for comment. She defended Ben & Jerry’s decision in August, saying, “It is not about boycotting Israel … the occupation is anti-Israel. Our decision was pro-Israel, pro-humanity, pro-human rights.”

In 2018, under Mittal’s leadership, Ben & Jerry’s partnered with anti-Israel activist and Women’s March co-founder Linda Sarsour, StopAntisemitism noted. Mittal is also the founder and executive director of the left-wing policy think tank Oakland Institute, where she led a team that wrote a series of reports called “Palestine for Land and Life,” which claims to document “everyday life under occupation” and “the use of laws and military orders which subjugate Palestinians.”

Meet our 2021 Antisemite of the Year - Ben & Jerry's Anuradha Mittal

Mittal spearheaded the antisemitic boycott against various parts of Israel that led to:

- 5 states divesting their pension assets from parent company Unilever
- an SEC investigation
- a drop in Unilever stock pic.twitter.com/INLkVpV9aG
— StopAntisemitism.org (@StopAntisemites) December 28, 2021

Rabbi Abraham Cooper and Kinue Tokudome: Japan-Israel ties at 70: obstacles and opportunities

Next year, Japan and Israel will reach a major milestone: 70 years since relations were established between these two unique democracies. In that time, both countries have made immense strides from uncertain times following World War II. Today, in the 21st century, they are both among the most technologically advanced democracies.

As two people who have worked to promote understanding and friendship between Japanese and Jewish people for decades, we enter this anniversary year with great anticipation.

One of us has been building relationships in Japan since the 1980s to increase awareness and educate Japanese people about the Holocaust, Jewish history, and Israel. The other has been writing and translating books and articles about the Holocaust and Jewish people for Japanese audiences for more than 25 years.

We have traveled to Japan many times; met with Japanese government officials as well as Israeli and American ambassadors to Japan; and spoken to the media.

Recently, an interesting article caught our attention. It suggested that Japan and Israel could form a powerful new alliance with the US. This is a wonderful vision that deserves to be pursued.

However, we believe that it is imperative for Japan to first address its long-held position towards Israel that has deeply disappointed those who would support closer ties.

Jewish Voice for Peace sent out a fundraising email from Judith Butler, where she says:

As the largest Jewish organization that has declared itself anti-Zionist, JVP has taken on an indispensable role in public life that is singular, timely, and critical. JVP offers a way for Jews to re-imagine what Jewishness can look like without nationalism and state violence, for Jews and other Palestinian allies to enact true safety and solidarity in our communities, while showing up and speaking out in the hard moments — the moments that really count.

JVP is at the forefront showing what a powerful and meaningful Jewish life can look like now, and helps all of us imagine the future. Help me make sure that future comes to fruition.

What kind of Judaism can JVP offer?

Given that the entire point of the organization is to oppose Israel, that makes its public activities all political. The only vestiges of religion are the ones that they can twist into politics.

JVP is trying to create a "Judaism" beyond just anti-Israel activities. They set up something called the JVP Havurah Network:

We are an emergent network that gathers, supports and resources diasporist, anti-zionist and non-zionist Jews and Jewish spiritual communities. We yearn for a vibrant Jewish life beyond nationalism that condemns and challenges white supremacy within and outside Jewish communities. The JVP Havurah Network supports collaboration and leadership development in service of the movement for Palestinian freedom and all liberatory movements.

Unlike their events, their ritual sheets are not centered exclusively on anti-Israel activities. They try to take whatever they can from Judaism and remove anything that has anything to do with Israel.

Which leaves them with very little.

Their Kabbalat Shabbat worksheet includes parts of the service. But it has to remove the middle paragraph of Sh'ma, which talks about the ties between Jews and the Land of Israel.

If they would create a prayer book, they would need to excise much of the Amidah and much of the Grace After Meals. Their Passovers must not include where Pharaoh should let the Israelites go. Their Pentateuch would not include much at all, since it is filled with promises from God to give the Land to the children of Israel. Chanukah turns from a holiday of rededicating the Temple in Jerusalem to...Palestinian olive oil.

They realize that Judaism without Israel isn't Judaism, so they are literally trying to create a new religion that they want to pretend is a legitimate branch of Judaism. The hoops they need to jump through prove what a sham they are.

12/28 Links Pt1: The U.N.’s Israel Libel Machine Expands; Attacks up, fatalities down in the West Bank; Israeli defense official says Iran faces ‘no deterrent’ to its nuclear goals

From Ian:

WSJ Editorial: The U.N.’s Israel Libel Machine Expands

Israel’s defense of its civilians was lawful, targeted and restrained, but the U.N. wants to use the war as a pretext to indict Israel for “crimes,” real or imagined. The commission staff, led by figures with records of anti-Israel rhetoric, are charged with “investigating all underlying root causes of recurrent tensions” in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (meaning causes excluding Hamas terrorism) and delivering biannual U.N. reports indefinitely into the future.

Israel is already an irrational fixation of the U.N., which issued 17 resolutions condemning it in 2020. But the funding stream approved at the General Assembly Thursday further institutionalizes the anti-Israel libel machine. The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs notes that the new commission will have 24 permanent staff, compared to 20 permanent staff for the Human Rights Council branch covering all of Asia. With an annual budget greater than $5 million, it will fund “790 days of travel for experts and staff every year from 2022 on.”

The commission has issued a public “call for submissions” and will recommend “criminal and command responsibility” for anything Israeli officials have ever done or may do in the future—an extraordinary attack on the sovereignty of a democratic member state.

As international order frays, the U.N. is focused on enlarging impotent bureaucracies and encouraging malevolent ideological campaigns. This will inflame Israeli opinion and do nothing to solve the conflict. The Biden Administration says it will oppose the new commission, but it ought to use it as a reason to exit the Human Rights Council and stop funding it.

Eugene Kontorovich: Trump Was Right To Recognize Moroccan Sovereignty Over Western Sahara

The Trump administration has achieved yet another success in brokering peace between Israel and the Islamic world, with the recent announcement of normalized relations between Israel and Morocco. The U.S. benefits greatly from good relations between two of its long-standing Middle East allies—and as part of the arrangement, the U.S. agreed to recognize Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed territory of Western Sahara. There is nothing unusual about adding "sweeteners" to such deals: The Carter administration, for example, made Egypt one of the largest non-NATO recipients of U.S. aid as a result of the Camp David Accords between Cairo and Jerusalem.

But the Western Saharan recognition has come under attack from those who had long supported unsuccessful policies for resolving the conflict. Former National Security Advisor John Bolton and Former Secretary of State James Baker both penned op-eds lambasting President Trump's move. These criticisms claim that the recognition is a radical departure from both U.S. policy and international law norms. Neither claim has any basis.

First, some background. Western Sahara had never been an independent state; rather, it was a Spanish colony until 1975, when Spanish rule crumbled at the end of the Franco regime. Morocco promptly took control of Western Sahara as the Spanish were on their way out, leading to a three-way conflict with Mauritania and the Algeria-backed Polisario guerrilla group. Morocco prevailed and has administered the territory as its "southern provinces" ever since.

The United Nations has described Morocco's presence as an "occupation" in a couple of resolutions. But much of the international community, including the United States, has taken a more ambiguous position, describing the territory as "disputed" between Morocco and the Polisario, which claims to govern an independent state that it calls the Sahrawi Arabic Democratic Republic.

By Daled Amos

Mansour Abbas, head of the Islamist Ra'am Party and member of the ruling coalition government in Israel made waves last week when he publicly declared that he recognized Israel as a Jewish state.

During an interview with Mohammad Magadli of Channel 12 News, Abbas said:

Israel was born a Jewish state, that was the decision of the people, and the question is not what is the identity of the state — it was born this way and it will remain this way.

Israellycool posted the video:

The question is: just how seriously should we take Abbas's apparent recognition of Israel as a Jewish state?
After all, back in December 1988...

After a two-day meeting with five prominent American Jews here, a P.L.O. delegation led by Mr. Arafat said in a joint statement that the Palestinian parliament in exile last month had ''accepted the existence of Israel as a state in the region'' and ''declared its rejection and condemnation of terrorism in all its forms.''

It became evident that Arafat neither accepted the existence of Israel nor rejected the use of terrorism, so it is understandable that some may be wary.

One indication of how difficult it may be for some to accept what Abbas said is that this is not even the first time that Abbas has recognized Israel as a Jewish state.

In a December 17 article on the Haaretz website, Michael Milshtein wrote:

Three weeks ago, United Arab List leader Dr. Mansour Abbas dropped one of the most dramatic political bombshells that’s been heard in Israeli discourse for some years. Astonishingly, it attracted very limited attention among both the Jewish or Arab publics. In the course of a tempestuous interview in the studio of the Nazareth-based Kul al-Arab news site, which addressed the UAL’s integration in the coalition, Abbas said, “Whether we like it or not, Israel is a Jewish state, and my central goal is to define the status of the country’s Arab citizens. I view myself as a citizen in the full sense of the word, who deserves to receive full civil rights.” [emphasis added]

That means Abbas originally came out with his recognition of Israel as a Jewish state in late November, before his interview with Magadli, without being noticed

And Ruthie Blum notes that following his statement in his interview with Magadli, Abbas doubled down in a post on Facebook:

In a lengthy post on Facebook, he reiterated what he had said at the conference, writing that Arabs need to distinguish between “desires and reality,” and not be fooled by the slogan “a state for all its citizens,” which is “employed to exploit people’s emotions without telling them that they’re talking about the state of Israel.”

The fact is, he emphasized, “legally and demographically, the State of Israel is a Jewish state.” [emphasis added]

We can argue over what Abbas is up to, but this was definitely no slip of the tongue.

Maybe he was reacting in response to a member of his own party.
JNS reported that on December 20, Ibrahim Hijazi -- the secretary-general of the Ra'am Party -- among other things called for the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria to be erased:

Ibrahim Hijazi made the remarks during in an interview that aired on the the Nazareth-based Kul al-Arab news station, just one day prior to Ra’am head Mansour Abbas’s declaration that Israel will remain a Jewish state. The interview was translated and first reported on by the Arab desk of Israeli NGO Im Tirtzu.
Hijazi stated that “the one who makes decision on large matters, nationalistic and ideological, is not Ibrahim [Hijazi] or Mansour [Abbas]—it’s the Ra’am platform.”

...Hijazi also asserted that the Arabs, not Jews, are indigenous to the land. [emphasis added]

Maybe Abbas offered his recognition of Israel in order to deflect attention from a claim made by a leader in his own party, whose own statement could potentially cause embarrassment.

There is no way to know for sure.
Just as there is no way to know for sure why Abbas originally made his statement in November.

But back in November, Caroline Glick outlined multiple ties that Mansour Abbas apparently had to Hamas.
Could Abbas have been reacting to that?

In an I24News article on Abbas's interview with Magadli, there is an unrelated embedded video discussing an offer Abbas made in the beginning of November to take $32 million earmarked for the Arab community -- and offer it to the "Jewish Ultra-Orthodox sector" in what he claimed was consistent with the policy of the Ra'am party to help all of the weak sectors of society. Some attacked the move as an attempt to drive a wedge between the Orthodox parties and the Likud, led by Netanyahu. When asked for his take on Abbas's motivation, Gil Hoffman -- chief political correspondent for The Jerusalem Post -- suggests:

Abbas is right now, very, very angry at Netanyahu. He blames Netanyahu for reports that there have been over the last week about reported ties between Ra'am and Hamas that Abbas vigorously denies and this is his way of getting revenge against Netanyahu.

Could his first statement about recognizing Israel have similarly been a reaction to those claims accusing him of ties to Hamas?

Maybe.

But on a practical level, the fact remains that Mansour Abbas has shown an ability to work within the Israel government, receiving a willingness for cooperation from unexpected areas.

For example, while the right-wing Religious Zionism party head MK Bezalel Smotrich refused to help form a coalition for Netanayahu that included Abbas, in 2020, Smotrich did help Abbas as transportation minister to resolve traffic infrastructure problems near the Israeli Arab towns of Nazareth and Kafr Kanna -- proving once again that politics makes strange bedfellows.

Which is what Naftali Bennett's coalition seems to be all about.

And if the head of the Islamist movement in Israel can work together with a right-wing Zionist, maybe there could be potential for some other positive developments as well.

If you read the social media accounts of supposedly pro-Palestinian activists, you will often see the word "resistance" accompanied by photos of unarmed Palestinians, often with flags, standing alone against heavily armed Israeli soldiers or police.

But in Arabic, the same word nearly always means violence.

Here are the top Google Image results for the phrase "Palestinian resistance" in English:

And in Arabic:

This is reflected in rhetoric as well. To Western nations, "non-violent resistance" (which includes stone throwing and firebombs) is emphasized by Palestinian organizations to attract the :progressive: crowd, but in Arabic the expression is often "armed resistance," which is promoted by every major Palestinian political party - from Hamas to Fatah to the PFLP and other socialist parties.

We've seen this kind of doubletalk before. Progressives shout "Intifada, Intifada!" and claim that it merely means a peaceful uprising; in Arabic Palestinians often threaten a "new Intifada" which invariably means one like the Second Intifada where a thousand Jews were murdered.

Similarly, the non-violent interpretation of "jihad" is emphasized to Westerners, while no one will find any objection to Palestinian Islamist terror groups using the term to exclusively mean killing Jews.

To be sure, there have been Westerners who have supported terrorism and violence as legal and legitimate, from Richard Falk to CJ Werleman. But on the public relations front, the anti-Israel crowd will mute their support for terror in English, hiding behind obfuscation to make it appear like they simply support freedom and justice.

The contradictions become apparent when they refer to Hamas and Islamic Jihad as "Palestinian resistance groups."

The messaging is carefully massaged to give the impression of being against violence.

But their support for terror is not in doubt.

Here are the most popular articles by EoZ's columnists this year:

Biden’s choices point to a continuation of a long list of Middle East foreign policy errors (Daled Amos)

Rabbi Twerski: The Man with the Face of an Angel Who Worked at St. Francis with the Nuns (Judean Rose)

(Also, this 2018 post from Judean Rose had a large audience this year.)

How Israel-haters became influential (Vic Rosenthal)

Report on Jerusalem correctly! (RealJerusalemStreets)

Elad Barzilai survived the Arab lynch mob (Forest Rain)

Suicide Bomber Hoping Work-From-Home Rules End Soon (PreOccupied Territory)

And some other guest posts that did well:

Linda Sarsour Indoctrinates Small Children to Hate Israel (@Kweansmom)

Israel: where the game never ends (Ellen E. Horowitz)

Academia for Hamas (Dr. Andrew Pessin)

BDS is a threat to the entire free world (Richard Landes)

Palestinian hate for Israel hurts Palestinians. Again.

From the Jerusalem Post:

The Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba will no longer allow Palestinian shoppers to make purchases on AliExpress.com, according to a text message that many buyers received from the company on Monday.

The reason for the move is that the Palestinian Authority's mail services refuse to handle packages that have the word Israel in the address. Many Palestinians do not know this and write Israel rather than Palestine as the destination country, according to N12.

Some Palestinians address deliveries to themselves saying "Israel," and - in the bizarre logic of the Palestinian leadership - they must be punished by not getting the goods they paid for!

Gee, the Palestinian Authority really cares about the people who live under its control.

Does this mean that Palestinians who order from Amazon or other places never get their deliveries if they unwittingly write "Israel" as their address? Are there medicines or medical supplies that aren't getting delivered because of this stupid, childish policy?

The thing is, this is normal for the PA.

The PA could have worked with Israel to get Covid-19 vaccines, but they refused - because, Israel.

The PA tried to forbid Palestinians from shopping at convenient and affordable Israeli supermarkets in the territories - because, Israel.

The PA rejected a state multiple times - because, Israel.

I would be very surprised if Israel would refuse to deliver a package with the proper postal code addressed to someone in "Lydda, Palestine." Because post office delivery services are not the place to play stupid political games.

Any real leader would instinctively know that.

But the entire purpose of the Palestinian Authority was never to provide a safe place for Palestinian Arabs to live. It was never to serve the people. The raison d'etre of the PA is to be a means to destroy the Jewish state. Hating Israel and the Jews is more important than helping their own people.

The Palestinian Authority proves, every day, with its own actions, that it cannot and should not ever be responsible for the lives of the people it pretends to lead.

12/27 Links Pt2: Good News in the Fight Against Antisemitism; Israel Is the Best Thing to Happen to Christians in the Holy Land for Centuries; The Tyranny of the Woke

From Ian:

Good News in the Fight Against Antisemitism

At this time of year-end recollections, we cannot forget that antisemitism has reached historic levels this year, including attacks on Jews in the streets of Boston, New York, Los Angeles and Southern Florida. But the year has not been entirely bleak. There has been good news. The fight against antisemitism is also surging. For those who seek silver linings in the dark clouds that gather, here are 10 positives from 2021.

1. Surveys Document the Growing Problem
I know, this sounds like bad news. The Anti-Defamation League, American Jewish Committee, Hillel International and my own Louis D. Brandeis Center published reports confirming that antisemitism is spiking and that Jewish Americans often feel the need to hide their identity for fear of attack. But the fact that we’re now doing better research is positive. We now know, for example, that two thirds of American Jews have encountered antisemitism over the past five years. (And we can wonder where the other third have been hiding.) Such data spurs action.

2. European Commission establishes antisemitism strategy
In January, the European Commission published a Handbook for using the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s crucial Working Definition of Antisemitism. This important publication demonstrated both the IHRA definition’s widespread international support, despite persistent naysayers, and its practical usefulness. The Commission followed up later in the year, announcing its first-ever official strategy on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life. One can only hope that the United States will also one day develop a national strategy.

3. Biden administration embraces IHRA working definition
In February, State Department official Kara McDonald announced the Biden administration’s support for the “invaluable” IHRA definition and its “real-world examples,” similar to the support that the definition has received from the last few administrations. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed that the administration “enthusiastically embraces” the definition. The White House followed up with an important if barely noticed provision in its Spring 2021 Unified Agenda, committing the US Education Department to codifying former president Donald Trump’s Executive Order on Combating Antisemitism. In other words, the Biden administration is committed not only to embracing IHRA but also to implementing it.

Telegraph ($): Israel Is the Best Thing to Happen to Christians in the Holy Land for Centuries

Every year at Christmas, some Christian prelate warns of the fate of Christians in the Holy Land. This year it was Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and Anglican Archbishop of Jerusalem Hosam Naoum.

But the state of Israel is the best thing to happen to Christians and other minorities in over a thousand years: a revolution for freedom against religious empire, a refuge for Jews, and a model of multi-ethnic pluralism at the same time. To the Archbishops' credit, they acknowledge that "In Israel, the overall number of Christians has risen," yet fail to note that this is the first time in 13 centuries that such a thing has happened.

There are, in fact, two Christian communities in the Holy Land: a large and prosperous Arabic-speaking population in Israel, where 182,000 live as citizens, mainly in the Galilee; and a smaller group of 50,000 Christian Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. The real crisis is here, under Palestinian rule. Data from a study by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research show that 2/3 of Christians in the Palestinian territories worry about rising Islamic sentiment, which drives economic hardship, emigration and decline.

Christmas offers an opportunity to thank Israel for safeguarding Christianity. If the Church of England wants a Christian renaissance in the Near East, it should extend a hand of friendship to the only country where that project is still viable.

The New York Times wrote an article about a new mall and destination theme parks in a part of Maale Adumim called Park Israel.

Among other things, it says:

[O]ne recent morning, the three-story fairground was packed with 1,500 Palestinian youths, mostly boys, on an outing from four schools in Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem. Seemingly oblivious to the geopolitics, the middle schoolers screeched in fear and delight as they plunged down the sky tower and hurtled around the extreme 360-degree Looper ride.

“Most of the parents want their children to have fun more than anything else,” said Imad Karain, the trip organizer from one of the schools.

Mr. Karain said he had received no complaints, though he did acknowledge some uneasiness about being in a settlement. Of the parents he said: “Politics doesn’t interest them so much. We want to live in peace and bring up our children in peace. We believe in coexistence and negotiations to solve the problem.”

“Enough of war and violence,” chimed in Muhammad Baidun, an English teacher.

The next day, Magic Kass was booked by an ultra-Orthodox Jewish boys’ yeshiva. And when the gates opened to the public in the late afternoon, the line was a mix of the religious and the secular, Jews and Arabs.

Maale Adumim and Park Israel currently provide jobs for about 5,000 Palestinians and a similar number of Jews, including cleaning and maintenance staff and managers.

So Jews and Arabs can go, thousands of Palestinians are employed, there is absolutely no discrimination.

And here's how Ken Roth of Human Rights Watch summarizes the article:

As the builders of an Israeli theme park try to hide that it's located in a war-crime settlement, West Bank residents see it as "an example of the two-tier legal system in the occupied territory that critics increasingly describe as a kind of apartheid."

They are hiding the gigantic theme park? A place where Arabs and Jews mingle and work together is "apartheid?" A place that provides thousands of jobs for Palestinians is a" war crime"?

Antisemitism rots your brain.