Thursday, February 15, 2018
- Thursday, February 15, 2018
- Elder of Ziyon
- Forest Rain, Opinion
It was Saturday morning. I woke up to the sound of the Red
Alert siren app ringing, announcing in-coming missiles somewhere in Israel.
Where? I knew it wasn’t in Haifa (yet) because the municipal
siren wasn’t screaming outside but elsewhere in Israel, people were running to
their bomb shelters.
In the north or in the south?
Missiles in the south, would be Hamas showing off. Missiles
in the north might be the indication that the war everyone knows is coming, the
war where many Israelis are expected to die, entire Israeli towns might need to
be evacuated, the war with Iran, has arrived.
The Red Alert app was warning of missiles in the north.
I sighed, lying in bed, hoping I wouldn’t hear the municipal
siren go off, warning of missiles on Haifa. I didn’t feel well and the idea of
having to get up and run to the bomb shelter (which because our house is old,
is outside) was not appealing, to say the least.
When that war comes, missiles on Haifa will be a
given. It’s not a question of “if,” it’s only a question of “when”.
Then there was an enormous BOOM.
What was that?! It wasn’t the sound of a missile slamming
near-by. I’ve heard that sound before. It wasn’t the sonic boom of fighter jets
overhead (I’m used to that sound). This was something else, something very,
very wrong.
Sick with uncertainty, it was not long before I discovered
that an IAF F16 had been shot down. What I had heard was the plane slamming
into the ground some 18 kilometers from my home.
Oh my God.
I don’t think people who live outside Israel can understand
the depth of horror… I have a hard time
coherently articulating the meaning of this single event. The plane is
precious, the pilots flying it even more so. It’s not about the cost of the
plane or the enormous investment in the pilots themselves (although that is
part of the equation). It’s about life – that of the pilots and the lives of
all of the people they are tasked to defend.
Can anyone who has not lived here understand? Ours are not
Rambo-Hollywood fighters, faceless tough strangers sent to do a mission we don’t
understand. Our soldiers are our children, our husbands and brothers, daughters
and sisters. They are us and we love each and every one of them – including
those we have never met, including those who would not be our company of choice
in a normal situation.
IAF pilots have an added special position. Their training
necessitates physical and mental capabilities few can attain. Throughout
Israeli history the IAF has executed miraculous successes: saving Israel from annihilation
during the Six Day war, flying to Entebbe, destroying the Iraqi nuclear
reactor… time and time again the IAF has been there to rescue the nation.
It’s been almost four decades since an Israeli fighter jet
has been downed by our enemies.
The entire country is following the medical condition of the
injured pilots. We don’t know their names, there are no images of their faces
or interviews with their families on the news (pilot identities are
classified). It doesn’t matter. We don’t care less because we don’t know them
and we will all breathe easier when we know they are ok.
Today Israel’s enemies grow bold. With enablers that are
willing to look the other way (or actively assist) for financial gain (or pure
Antisemitism) Iran is a breath away from a full-blown war that will affect much
more than “just” Israel.
Since Saturday, there was an attempted lynch of two Israeli
soldiers who accidently drove into Jenin. They miraculously escaped with their
lives. The female soldier who was attacked, keeps crying and describing over
and over to those who visit her in the hospital how the bloodthirsty mob
deliberately attacked her, mostly her and not the male soldier she was
with.
Last night there was a car accident that killed two IDF
soldiers. Car accidents happen all the time but when soldiers are involved, it
is worse. If soldiers have to die it should be in defense of the country, not because
of an accident. For a purpose, not by mistake.
So why am I writing this? Maybe because there are still
people who think that Israel wants American help, American soldiers - we don’t,
we just don’t want to be prevented from doing what needs to be done to protect
ourselves. Maybe because even many of those who care about Israel don’t really
understand the Israeli experience. Maybe my words can provide a little bit of
insight. Maybe understanding us better can evoke a little more compassion.
Maybe.
- Thursday, February 15, 2018
- Elder of Ziyon
Jordan Times has an article of Pravda caliber in its fawning praise for the King, and the previous monarch as well. By Hasan Abu Nimah:
One is that it described the violent Palestinian uprising in 1970 as a "vicious conspiracy" without mentioning that the main instigator was the PLO - and that Jordanian forces killed thousands of Palestinians during the Black September uprising.
And the other is that the peace treaty between Israel and Jordan isn't mentioned.
Jordan is too embarrassed to admit that it once considered Palestinians to be mortal enemies, and that it ever made peace with Israel.
We have lots of ideas, but we need more resources to be even more effective. Please donate today to help get the message out and to help defend Israel.
His Majesty King Abdullah II is in his 19th year of glorious reign; distinguished years that have witnessed exemplary leadership abilities, skillful political expertise, widely recognised wisdom and seasoned diplomatic prowess resulting in momentous accomplishments in the midst of the most troubling times and escalating crises.Besides the hilariously over the top prose, there are two interesting omissions in the brief history of King Hussein's reign.
Nineteen years ago this month, Jordan commemorated a most significant milestone in its history. On February 7, 1999, His Majesty King Hussein Bin Talal departed this world, leaving behind an eminent legacy and monumental achievements.
The late monarch ascended the throne at the young age of 17 following the abdication of his father King Talal in 1952. At that time, Jordan was a nascent country having only won its independence six years earlier. It was still recovering from the first Arab — Israeli war, in which the Jordanian army played a significant role in saving the West Bank and East Jerusalem from the same fate that befell 78 per cent of the historical land of Palestine that was seized by the Zionist occupiers in that disastrous war.
During his 47-year reign in a highly turbulent region that scarcely witnessed peace or stability, the protection of the country was safeguarded through King Hussein’s unique leadership; steering the ship in a perpetual storm to the shores of safety. It was nothing short of miraculous that Jordan managed to endure the heavy impact of the Palestinian Nakba (catastrophe) and the influx of hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees into Jordan; the Suez war; the toppling of the Hashemite regime in Iraq when Jordan and Iraq had just formed a unity between them; the rabid air war directed against Jordan from Arab countries which were inciting against stable traditional monarchies in favour of military coups; the 1967 war and the loss of the West Bank and Jerusalem with huge swathes of Egyptian and Syrian territories; the 1970 internal war in Jordan whereby a vicious conspiracy was targeting the regime; the Gulf war of 1980 between Iraq and Iran; and the second Gulf war following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1991.
King Hussein’s diplomacy was not only focused on Jordanian issues which would have been manageable. Jordan was immensely affected by all regional troubles being situated at the epicentre of each and every Middle Eastern crisis, and as such all issues landed on the King’s doorstep.
When King Abdullah ascended the throne on that historic day for Jordan, he immediately took up where his departing father left off, thus continuing the honourable legacy.
The transfer of authority, smooth and orderly as it was, even during a time of national mourning for the loss of a beloved grand national symbol and a caring father figure, was perfectly compatible with the line of succession.
At the age of 38 King Abdullah stepped in with unshakeable confidence, clear vision, unwavering resolve and boundless energy for tackling the tasks ahead in an era equally unstable and volatile as during the reign of his late father.
One is that it described the violent Palestinian uprising in 1970 as a "vicious conspiracy" without mentioning that the main instigator was the PLO - and that Jordanian forces killed thousands of Palestinians during the Black September uprising.
And the other is that the peace treaty between Israel and Jordan isn't mentioned.
Jordan is too embarrassed to admit that it once considered Palestinians to be mortal enemies, and that it ever made peace with Israel.
- Thursday, February 15, 2018
- Elder of Ziyon
From Hebrew Israel Hayom:
Seven attempts by Palestinian youth to attack Israelis were thwarted in the past eight months. This is a photo of a pipe bomb discovered outside that same courthouse in October that was being planted by another "child" of 17:
These stories don't get published in English, because the terror attacks are stopped before they start. But these are "children" who are trying to smuggle pipe bombs on their bodies - no doubt built by Palestinian terror adults who are using the youths as willing human bombs.
The media makes it look like all Palestinian youths in custody are rock throwers (which is bad enough) or otherwise innocuous. No one wants to report that these "children" are also carrying bombs intended to kill and injure dozens. It doesn't fit with the conventional view of the conflict, so it is too difficult to mention.
We have lots of ideas, but we need more resources to be even more effective. Please donate today to help get the message out and to help defend Israel.
Also on Tuesday, three more Palestinians were caught trying to bring pipe bombs in the area.
A military police officer thwarted two attacks within two months: Sergeant Ilan Nemirovsky uncovered yesterday (Tuesday) an explosive device that a Palestinian tried to bring into the court, after finding a similar device about two months ago.
A 17-year-old Palestinian arrived yesterday at the entrance to the courthouse in Salam and aroused the suspicion of the military police and Border Guard soldiers at the entrance, after he had passed several times at the metal detector post and was being asked to undress.
Sergeant Nemirovsky, a military policeman who served in the Salem court for about two years, said: "He came to this entrance and aroused my suspicion, especially in his dress, I checked him like I do for everyone and passed him through the magnometer. It continued to beep and showed me that the source of the beep was in the area of his pants, and I told him to take off his pants and he showed the device and put it on the table. It was an improvised explosive charge, and the court was immediately closed for entry and exit. A police sapper who was summoned to the scene finally neutralized the explosive charge, which contained explosives, including fragments of knives, to increase the damage.
As noted, Sergeant Nemirovsky is already practiced in such cases. About two months ago, a Palestinian youth , about 16 years old, also arrived at the courthouse and aroused his suspicion. "I felt that something was wrong and I checked him " I asked him to go through the magnometer a few times, and then I performed a skin removal procedure and discovered the cargo in his pants, "Nemirovsky said." We are always alert, know the job and do what we need. "
Seven attempts by Palestinian youth to attack Israelis were thwarted in the past eight months. This is a photo of a pipe bomb discovered outside that same courthouse in October that was being planted by another "child" of 17:
These stories don't get published in English, because the terror attacks are stopped before they start. But these are "children" who are trying to smuggle pipe bombs on their bodies - no doubt built by Palestinian terror adults who are using the youths as willing human bombs.
The media makes it look like all Palestinian youths in custody are rock throwers (which is bad enough) or otherwise innocuous. No one wants to report that these "children" are also carrying bombs intended to kill and injure dozens. It doesn't fit with the conventional view of the conflict, so it is too difficult to mention.
(h/t Ahron Shapiro)
Wednesday, February 14, 2018
From Ian:
Sohrab Amari: Mr. Ellison Goes to Dinner
Qatar-Backed Spy Operation on U.S. Jews Puts Al Jazeera in Congressional Crosshairs
Sohrab Amari: Mr. Ellison Goes to Dinner
The episode raises serious questions about Ellison’s judgment and his real ideological convictions.
Ellison has spent much of his political career running away from Farrakhan. His ties to the group almost derailed his first congressional run, in 2006. After it emerged that he had worked with the Nation of Islam for at least 18 months in the 1990s, Ellison wrote a letter to the Jewish community distancing himself from Farrakhan and denouncing his “anti-Semitic statements and actions.” Ellison reiterated his opposition to the group’s “anti-Semitism” and “homophobia” in 2016 when he contested the DNC leadership.
But revulsion at his former associates in the Nation of Islam didn’t stop Ellison from breaking bread with Farrakhan in 2013–bread that was provided by the Tehran regime. So which is the real Ellison: The one who drafts earnest letters of apology to Jewish groups? Or the one who, as recently as 2013, saw it fit to dine with Farrakhan under Iranian auspices?
The Ellison-Farrakhan-Rouhani shindig is also a reminder that progressive Democrats had no compunction about hobnobbing with representatives of an anti-American terror state–until recently, that is. Today, Ellison is among the party’s loudest tub-thumpers regarding claims of Trump-Russian “collusion.” Yet he met privately with the Iranian president two years after the Obama administration’s Justice Department uncovered a plot by the Tehran regime to assassinate the Saudi ambassador on U.S. soil.
Ellison does not appear to have done anything illegal in meeting with Rouhani. Nor does this revelation neutralize or invalidate concerns about Russian interference in the 2016 election. But Republicans and conservatives can be forgiven for wondering if the Democrats’ newfound and highly selective hawkishness is a genuine effort to reckon with national-security realities or a ploy in a political game.
Qatar-Backed Spy Operation on U.S. Jews Puts Al Jazeera in Congressional Crosshairs
A months-long spy operation funded by Qatar's Al Jazeera news network targeting American Jews and pro-Israel groups is fueling a new congressional effort to force the Middle Eastern news outlet to register as a foreign agent under U.S. laws, according to multiple sources familiar with the situation.27 years since the Gulf War - why didn't Israel respond?
Al Jazeera, the Qatari government's state-sponsored news organization, recently conducted a months-long spy operation on a slew of American pro-Israel officials and organizations as part of what Al Jazeera says is an upcoming documentary on supposed Jewish influence in the U.S. government.
The spy effort has prompted Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D., N.J.) to begin circulating a letter to his colleagues urging support for an effort to force Al Jazeera to register as a state-backed foreign agent under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, or FARA, multiple sources with knowledge of the matter confirmed to the Washington Free Beacon.
The effort is being fueled by Al Jazeera's effort to secretly record American Jews and Israel supporters, according to sources who familiar with the letter.
As part of the upcoming documentary, a mole paid for by Al Jazeera infiltrated these organizations and recorded pro-Israel advocates discussing efforts to combat anti-Semitism and boycotts of Israel.
Ahead of Al Jazeera running this production, it has sent several letters to subjects who were secretly recorded asking them to respond to a range of allegations that the Qatari outlet claims confirm that American Jews are working to influence the American government and block global efforts to boycott Israel, known as the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement, or BDS.
The release recently by the IDF and Defense Ministry archives of interviews with me and the late Lt.-Gen. Dan Shomron, who was defense minister and chief of staff at the time of the Gulf War, has rekindled the debate about whether Israel should have responded to the Iraqi missile attacks during the Gulf War. Thirty-nine Scud missiles were launched from western Iraq against Israeli targets during the five-and-a-half weeks of the war. Only six landed in populated areas, causing considerable property damage and the loss of a single life.
Throughout the war US president George H. W. Bush did his utmost to keep Israel from responding. US deputy secretary of state Larry Eagleburger and undersecretary of defense Paul Wolfowitz arrived in Israel four days before the aerial bombing of Iraq began, on a mission to convince us not to launch a preemptive attack and to stay out of the war. They assured us that the US armed forces would within days eliminate the danger of Scud attacks against Israel, while Israeli participation might well lead to a break-up of the coalition and ensuing difficulties. Should the US not be successful in eliminating the Scud threat to Israel, they said, the US would acquiesce to an Israeli response.
As it turned out, all American attempts to hit the Scud launchers failed, and throughout the war Scuds kept falling on Israel. Raytheon Patriot anti-aircraft missiles sent to Israel by the US, despite a number of attempts, failed to intercept a single Scud. Nevertheless, Bush in almost daily calls to prime minister Yitzhak Shamir urged him to keep Israel out of the war despite Iraqi “provocations.”
Israeli participation could lead to a break-up of the coalition, he insisted.
- Wednesday, February 14, 2018
- Varda Meyers Epstein (Judean Rose)
- Judean Rose, Opinion, TOI, Varda
New Media Editor Sarah Tuttle-Singer, of the Times of Israel introduced her newest
blog, Why
I want the security guy at the train station to search me, on the Times of
Israel bloggers’ Facebook page with these words, “There are two things I care
about when it comes to Israel: Security and equality. And this is why I say
with no hesitation: Search Muhammed. And search me. Search everyone.”
The fallacy of these words hit me with immediate clarity. I
knew what her blog said without reading it. She was going to say that everyone
has to be checked by security guards, both Jew and Arab, in order to protect
democracy—that equality means checking everyone, irrespective of whether or not
they might be guilty.
But that isn’t equality. Equality is about holding everyone
to the same societal standards. If Moshe is a bad boy, he goes to jail. If Mohammed
is a bad boy he goes to jail. Because everyone is supposed to be good and obey
the law. And when they don’t, there are repercussions.
Because that is how the security apparatus protects our
liberties. They have intel. They use it to protect everyone. The intel is what it
is. It’s what Moshe or Mohammed make it. And should Moshe’s or Mohammed’s
relatives tend to be rowdy, they then become “the usual suspects” and anyone
who looks, sounds, or acts like them is identified and scrutinized.
That’s how we protect equality. By making sure that everyone
has the right to safety and security. And by setting standards of appropriate
behavior. And making sure there are consequences to bad behavior.
And if Moshe or Mohammed don’t want their families
scrutinized, they need to behave. Period.
But let’s say one relative doesn’t go along with the rowdy
bunch. He’s a good guy. Is it fair that he be profiled, scrutinized, his
liberties temporarily curtailed?
Absolutely. Because these standards protect him, too. Which is why, by no stretch of
the imagination can it be called collective punishment to more carefully
scrutinize Arabs going through Israeli security points. Because 99% of terror
attacks in Israel are carried out by Arabs.
Enforcing the law and being tough on criminals or those at
risk of becoming criminals, is how we protect our civil liberties and our
security. For everyone. Equally. If a terrorist blows up a train, Arabs get
hurt, too. The entire point of security is to prevent everyone from getting
hurt, both Arab and Jew.
That is real equality,
while checking everyone would be a mere performance, a show of equality, not
the real thing.
I monitored the comments on the TOI bloggers’ Facebook page.
No one was saying what I was thinking. The next day I read the blog, and the
comments below. No one had written what I was thinking (as of this writing). So
I ventured to say it myself, on the Facebook TOI bloggers’ page:
Equality, yes. Hold peoples to the
same standards. Jews are, by and large, not carrying out terror attacks against
people in malls and train stations. You can tell by looking at them if they are
the rare exception. Which is how the intelligence community managed to
infiltrate the youth group of Rabin's assassin (and incite the killer to
murder): they knew this was a rare extremist group because of the way they
looked, spoke, acted [Tuttle-Singer had referenced Yigal Amir in an earlier
comment on the thread, “The only person to assassinate an Israeli PM was a
Jewish Israeli.”]
So why should manpower and money be
wasted to check every single Jew, when the Jews are by and large, a peaceful
people? Equality under the law means holding people to the same standard. A
people with a large proportion of terrorists must unfortunately be scrutinized
with care, also for the sake of those among them who are innocent and might be
harmed by the actions of those among them who are violent.
I too, always thank security guards
for checking me, as I know this is for my own safety. But I am also grateful
when they use their common sense, look me over, know I'm a granny with
arthritis, without a violent bone in my body, and wave me through without
further ado.
I am tempted to blog about this, so
I hope you will answer me, Sarah Tuttle-Singer. It is not equality to check
every single person, when you know which people are the ones [who] may or may
not endanger society. Equality is holding peoples to the same standards.
Jews, in general, don't deserve to
be treated with suspicion. Certainly not Feige Rochel, for example, whose
sector has never perpetrated a terror attack at a bus station, AFAIK. That
would just be holding up people to make a show of equality, when the real
equality is to hold her sector to the same standard: are Haredim perpetrating
terror attacks?
Equality doesn't mean an
inconvenient show. It means societal standards of behavioral norms.
Sarah did, in fact, respond to me, as follows:
Varda, for the sake of our Jewish
and democratic state we should demand equality. It's essential or we wither.
I'm willing to be inconvenienced
and we can and should find budget for more guards if necessary. The prime
minister's ice cream budget ought to cover some of the costs.
Search everyone.
Feige Rochel and Varda Epstein and
Sarah Tuttle singer and Igal Amir and
Yosef Chaim Ben David and ruvi
rivkin and that random barista and Omar al-abed and
Muhammad salim and george
dabit and the woman who works in the clothing store on Hebron road and EVERYONE
should be subject to same rules
And treatment.
And the guilty should go to jail.
As I didn’t feel this answered my question, I tried
narrowing things down further, as follows:
There's an issue with this idea: it
means focusing on everyone, which dilutes/diverts the focus away from probable troublemakers.
It harms everyone by making the
security apparatus LESS effective.
It's not about the inconvenience or
money. It's about the fact that this is not real equality, but a show of
equality. The real equality is holding people to the same standard, which
deters actual terrorists.
I really hoped that Sarah would see my point and speak to
it. But she didn’t deign to respond. She’d doubled down, reiterated her talking
points, and closed shop.
Which is a pity. Because I want security and equality every
bit as much as she. I want both Moshe and Mohammed to be safe. I want the
terror and the fear to end.
And that requires true equality, equality under the law, and
not some silly superficial spectacle masquerading as the same.
- Wednesday, February 14, 2018
- Elder of Ziyon
- humor, Preoccupied
Washington, February 14 - The director of a lobbying group that bills itself as "pro-Israel, pro-peace" urged the Jewish State to consider dissolving itself to prevent outbreaks of anti-Jewish violence and rhetoric that are obviously sparked by Jewish sovereignty in the ancient Jewish homeland.
Jeremy Ben-Ami, Executive Director of J Street, told reporters and supporters of the organization today that Israel's ongoing existence invites antisemitism,a phenomenon he described as "marginal" before Israeli statehood in 1948.
"Israel continuing to pursue policies, such as existing, that antagonize antisemites is just asking for trouble," asserted Ben-Ami, whose clout in Washington has diminished significantly since the election of President Trump and of a Republican majority in both houses of Congress. "If there's anything we Jews should have learned in our extended exile, it's that keeping our heads down is a proven strategy for survival, at least some of the time."
"Consider the origins of antisemitism," he continued. "It wasn't such a widespread phenomenon until ancient Jews decided to assert their sovereignty against Rome. I don't have to tell you what happened as a result: the destruction of the Holy Temple, thousands of years of displacement, Christian persecution, and maybe even Muslim persecution, but we're not going to discuss that at length because the Muslim don't like when we suggest they have been anything but tolerant hosts, and they can get violent. Please don't hurt me. I'm one of the good Jews who appreciates dhimmi status. Look, I even brought my fig leaf!"
Analysts consider the right-wing Israeli government's likelihood of adopting Mr. Ben-Ami's proposal low. "Netanyahu has never been one to do the wise thing and just lay low until antisemitic rages blow over," observed political commentator Rashid Khalidi. "He represents a radical fringe of Jews who have the temerity to suggest that Jews are a nation deserving of sovereignty and control of their own security. As you can see, that sentiment is hardly shared by the vast majority of people in the world, let alone in the immediate regional neighborhood where Jews have asserted themselves in such a rude and disrespectful manner."
"It's only a matter of time till someone decides they've had enough of this Zionist uppitiness," he added. "You wait and see, I guarantee some upset Muslim will do something rash and uncontrollable, and it will all be Netanyahu's fault. Mark my words. You can't just upend 1400 years of Islamic tradition with such notions."
From Ian:
Saeb Erekat Looks for Excuses Not to Negotiate with Israel
Gaza Needs to Look in the Mirror for Its Problems
Saeb Erekat Looks for Excuses Not to Negotiate with Israel
In an op-ed in yesterday’s New York Times, the longtime PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat declared the U.S. ineligible to broker talks between Israel and the Palestinians given, among other sins, its recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Noting Erekat’s two-decade history of prevarication—including his absurd and libelous claims of a “massacre” in Jenin in 2002—Elliott Abrams explains why Erekat cannot be taken seriously. The column, writes Abrams, is in fact about something else entirely:Palestinians: Abbas's Lies and Falling Mask
Erekat returns in the Times to the usual, and sad, Palestinian victimhood trope, criticizing President Trump for failing to recognize “the painful compromises the Palestinians have made for peace, including recognizing Israel and trying to build a state on just 22 percent of the land in the historic Palestine of 1948.” It is striking to call those “compromises”: the first requires Palestinians to do no more than recognize reality, and the second to make their best efforts on behalf of their people. Trying to build a state that can live in peace and engage in economic and social development would not normally be called a huge sacrifice.
Erekat’s message in the Times is that peace efforts must now be multinational, with the United States joined as equal partners by the European Union, Russia, India, Japan, South Africa, and China. PLO Chairman Mahmoud Abbas will soon address the UN Security Council on this point. Good luck with that. There is zero chance that such a group could be formed or could possibly do anything to promote a peace agreement. This is not a serious proposal for moving toward peace but a fantasy designed to forestall any real pressure on the PLO for compromises it does not wish to make. . . .
Erekat concludes by writing that “we are planning to move toward national elections in which all Palestinians, including our diaspora, can take part, with the goals of better representation, more support for our refugees, and strengthening our people’s steadfastness under occupation.” But Abbas has refused to hold elections in the area he controls, the West Bank, since 2006, despite repeated promises to do so. Note that his “national elections” will include the diaspora. This suggests that the “national elections” will not be Palestinian Authority presidential and parliamentary elections that could threaten Abbas’s hold on power. . . .
For the past two decades, the anti-Israel rhetoric of Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian leadership has radicalized many Palestinians, to a point where they are no longer willing to accept any form of compromise or peace with Israel.
By accusing the Trump administration of hostility to the Palestinians, the Palestinian leadership has delegitimized the US to a degree where many Palestinians now feel that Americans are legitimate targets for violence and terror attacks.
How, exactly, do these condemnations conform with Abbas's other claims that he seeks to resume peace talks with Israel? The mask on Abbas's face has fallen once again. That mask has, in fact, been falling for many years. Perhaps one day the world will even see that.
Gaza Needs to Look in the Mirror for Its Problems
Gaza is broke. As Monday’s front-page New York Times feature explained at length, the conflict between the Gaza Strip’s Hamas overlords and the Fatah party that runs the West Bank has resulted in a cash crunch that has left many of the area’s two million people without money. Along with Gaza’s inadequate infrastructure, the resulting poverty from this crisis contributes to a general picture of despair for many Palestinians.
Of course, the notion that everyone in Gaza is starving is an exaggeration. As journalist Tom Gross points out, Gaza’s thriving malls continue to operate, as does its water park, restaurants, and hotels — inconvenient facts that are missing from the Times story and most of the coverage of the current crisis.
But even if we concede that the talk of a humanitarian crisis in Gaza is probably exaggerated, there’s no question that most of the people there are poor and have little hope of improving their plight.
This means, as it almost always does, that Israel will be blamed for this awful situation. Since most of the world believes that Israel is still “occupying” Gaza, and is therefore responsible for the coastal territory’s problems, it is only natural that the worse things get there, the more opprobrium will be directed at the Jewish state in international forums and the press.
This is wrong — but not just because Israel hasn’t occupied Gaza since 2005.
- Wednesday, February 14, 2018
- Elder of Ziyon
From Iran's Mehr News:
Parliament Speaker Special Aide in International Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said here on late Tuesday that the moves by some Arab states aimed at normalization of relations with Israeli regime can jeopardize bilateral ties tremendously.
Given the above issue, thawing ties of some Arab countries with the Zionist regime will incur irreparable damage to the Islamic World in the current situation, he reiterated.Even though Amir-Abdollahian only mentioned Arab states, there is a reason he made this point in Azerbaijan: because Israeli ties to the majority Muslim country are quite good.
Amir-Abdollahian made the above remark in his meeting with two heads of political parties in the Republic of Azerbaijan.
He pointed to the longstanding positive relationship between Iran and Republic of Azerbaijan and said, “the relations between Islamic Republic of Iran and Republic of Azerbaijan are influenced by the longstanding and age-old historical ties of the two countries. The two nations share many commonalities in various fields.”
Israel established relations with Azebaijan over 25 years ago, and was one of the first countries to recognize it. Wikileaks has released a memo where Azeri president Ilham Aliyev compared his country's relationship with Israel to an iceberg: "Nine-tenths of it is below the surface."
Iran normally attacks any Muslim nation that has ties with Israel, but in this case Iran is acting differently - because it is frightened that the Muslim nation would choose Israel over Iran if it had to make a choice. So the Iranian diplomat said nice things about relations between the two, while giving a warning at the same time.
Iran's actions show that it is very, very afraid of Israeli diplomatic gains, which are occurring not only in reaction to Iran's aggression towards Sunni Arab states but quite independently of it.
Iran knows that it is losing ground diplomatically. But it still cannot resist offering a stick along with a carrot to Azerbaijan.
- Wednesday, February 14, 2018
- Elder of Ziyon
Today is the fourth day of the strike by hospital cleaning staff in Gaza who have not been paid their salaries by the Palestinian authority.
There is no solution on the horizon.
Dr. Ashraf al-Qudra, spokesman for the Ministry of Health, warned this morning of major health setbacks in cancer patients and those with blood diseases because of the lack of hygiene in hospitals.
"The suspension of cleaning companies poses a direct threat to the health of patients and public health in 13 hospitals, 51 primary care centers and 22 other facilities in the Ministry of Health through 13 companies," he said.
Photos of the hospitals with overflowing trash are being published in the Palestinian media.
One can certainly sympathize with the janitorial staff who isn't getting paid because of Hamas/Palestinian Authority infighting and pissing contests (a context that is missing in most of the stories about the issue.)
But there is still medical staff in these hospitals. Why don't they pitch in to empty trash cans outside?
We are constantly told about the high unemployment rate in Gaza. Why aren't the hundreds of thousands of idle able-bodied Gazans volunteering to help keep hospitals open by doing the (non-dangerous) cleaning tasks?
Why aren't the many NGOs in Gaza organizing teams to pick up, clean and dispose of the garbage?
Why can't the many Gaza women who posed for media cameras during the last war go to the hospitals and clean them up?
Palestinians constantly talk about how important dignity is to them. Is cleaning a hospital, allowing patients to be treated, too undignified for them?
This story isn't only about a labor dispute, nor is it only about a political dispute that puts people's lives at risk. It is also a story about how an entire culture has sprouted up where people are taught only to complain about what they claim to deserve - but that they aren't willing to lift a finger to help themselves.
(h/t Zvi)
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There is no solution on the horizon.
Dr. Ashraf al-Qudra, spokesman for the Ministry of Health, warned this morning of major health setbacks in cancer patients and those with blood diseases because of the lack of hygiene in hospitals.
"The suspension of cleaning companies poses a direct threat to the health of patients and public health in 13 hospitals, 51 primary care centers and 22 other facilities in the Ministry of Health through 13 companies," he said.
Photos of the hospitals with overflowing trash are being published in the Palestinian media.
One can certainly sympathize with the janitorial staff who isn't getting paid because of Hamas/Palestinian Authority infighting and pissing contests (a context that is missing in most of the stories about the issue.)
But there is still medical staff in these hospitals. Why don't they pitch in to empty trash cans outside?
We are constantly told about the high unemployment rate in Gaza. Why aren't the hundreds of thousands of idle able-bodied Gazans volunteering to help keep hospitals open by doing the (non-dangerous) cleaning tasks?
Why aren't the many NGOs in Gaza organizing teams to pick up, clean and dispose of the garbage?
Why can't the many Gaza women who posed for media cameras during the last war go to the hospitals and clean them up?
Palestinians constantly talk about how important dignity is to them. Is cleaning a hospital, allowing patients to be treated, too undignified for them?
This story isn't only about a labor dispute, nor is it only about a political dispute that puts people's lives at risk. It is also a story about how an entire culture has sprouted up where people are taught only to complain about what they claim to deserve - but that they aren't willing to lift a finger to help themselves.
(h/t Zvi)
- Wednesday, February 14, 2018
- Elder of Ziyon
From YNet:
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A Palestinian diplomat speaking to students at the United Nations headquarters in New York told them the Palestinians were proud to be throwing stones at Israeli forces and will continue teaching their children to do so.
In a recording obtained by Ynet, Abdallah Abushawesh, who serves as a senior adviser to the UN's Development Group and as a member of the Palestinian UN mission, is heard saying in broken English, "We are very clever and very expert at throwing the stones. We are very proud to do that. We will not stop to learn our kids (to do that)."
To the sound of sniggering from his listeners, Abushawesh went on to say that every Palestinian caught throwing stones by Israel gets sent to jail. "We are very proud that we are stone throwers. I'm one of them. Now I became a little bit older, but I stay resistant in the name of my kids," he continued.
The Palestinian diplomat later told the students about his own past as a stone-thrower during the first intifada. "I was in high school. I never missed an opportunity to throw stones. This is our life. We develop our resistance every day. We're proud of it," he said.
Abushawesh was speaking to a group of international relations students from McGill University who were at the UN for a tour and a series of meetings as part of their program.
14 Israelis have been killed, and countless injured, by Palestinian stone throwers, including:
Yehuda Shoham, a 5-month-old baby, was killed when a rock hurled by stone-throwing Palestinians crashed through the window of the car he was riding in, crushing his skull (2001)
Asher (25) and Yonatan Palmer (1) were killed when the car Asher was driving was attacked by stone-throwing Palestinians, causing it to crash killing him along with his infant son.(2011)
Tthe Biton's family car was attacked, near neighboring village of Kif el-Hares, with stones which caused it to get out of control and collide with a truck. Adele Biton was critically injured along with her mother and 3 sisters who were moderately injured, and died two years later.(2013)
The news isn't that Palestinians encourage stone throwing. That has been obvious for years.
The news is that a Palestinian diplomat, at the UN, is proudly telling college students that he supports teaching Palestinian children to use deadly force against Jews - and it isn't making world headlines.
The news media, by treating Palestinian bloodlust as something that is expected and not newsworthy, is complicit in encouraging the continued murders of Israelis.
And what the hell is wrong with the McGill students who laughed when this animal bragged about using deadly force against Jews? That should be front page news in Canadian newspapers as well.
Tuesday, February 13, 2018
From Ian:
David Collier: KCL – will someone please protect the Jewish students?
BESA: Mahmoud Abbas’s Speech: Who Was the Real Audience?
David Collier: KCL – will someone please protect the Jewish students?
Demonstrators as victims
It is also interesting to record how the demonstrators twist the events. They had chosen to come onto a campus to disrupt an event. The campus security tried, and partially failed to contain the protest. One demonstrator was not permitted inside because he held a megaphone. An instrument clearly designed (outside a door of an event) to disrupt. This became the tweet of the night:
So as Jewish students are huddled in a room, struggling to hear what their invited speaker against a background of vocal hate, the demonstrators portray themselves as the victims. In the footage, the security man explicitly references the megaphone (see under his arm). The person tweeting this is Ayo Olatunji, who is part of the UCL student union, and was part of the UCL protest and disruption in late 2016. More of a concern was this tweet by Ayo:
He claims he was denied, not because of his behaviour, his intent, or the need to uphold free speech, but because he is black. I saw this weaponisation of racism at Cambridge with Malia Bouattia, and recently being used at Warwick by Nicola Pratt. A truly divisive strategy. There is of course nothing about his colour mentioned in the footage.
The protestors have complained to the university. They are in ‘outrage’. Why? Just as I described their dissatisfaction at events at UCL two week ago:
‘They are disappointed that they are not allowing them to do what they want to do. To permit their demonstration, to deny the other, to allow them entry to the building, to let them disrupt the event, to deny the speaker the platform in the first place. They want to be armed with a security force to impose their demands. A fascist mentality. ‘
What of the Jewish students?
This is all intimidation. And it works. The university is not capable of fighting a war for the Jewish students, because this is not a battle of students. Palestine Solidarity Campaign advertise it, Friends of Al Aqsa live stream it, off-campus ringleaders turn up to assist in the organisation.
How many of those Jewish students who may have been intimidated by yesterday’s events, will not attend another meeting of its type? Will supporters of those Jewish students now look over their shoulder and say to themselves ‘it is not worth it’? How many of those who organised the event, will not organise another? Will invited speakers not want to come?
Intimidation works because it works through intimidation, not debate. Non-democratic forces are undermining our academic spaces. Values of equality, democracy, free speech are all under threat. When you have Jewish students forced to leave a room surrounded by haters screaming ‘shame’, alongside posts on Facebook calling these students ‘cockroaches’, then you have to accept you are in dangerous territory.
#Jews run the gauntlet from @jeremycorbyn @PSCupdates #JewHaters @KingsCollegeLon tonight. What’s changed from #1938 #Vienna? @SamGyimah @COLRICHARDKEMP @GuidoFawkes pic.twitter.com/934YYjYwPZ
— Jewish HR Watch (@jhrwatch) February 12, 2018
Our statement about the event we hosted tonight featuring former #Israeli Deputy Prime Minister, Dan Meridor. We must continue to protect free #speech on campus & defeat #intolerance.
— Pinsker Centre (@PinskerCentre) February 12, 2018
READ: https://t.co/ntT2Gfjxr9 pic.twitter.com/aPwgarxSg3
BESA: Mahmoud Abbas’s Speech: Who Was the Real Audience?
Mahmoud Abbas’s blatantly skewed account of the nature of Zionism and the history of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict should bring Israel’s policymakers and opinion shapers to enunciate anew the story they tell their own people and the world at large.
Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas’s speech at the January 14 meeting of the PLO’s Central Council lasted two hours. Apart from the phrase “May your house be destroyed,” which became the headline for the speech, Abbas’s “historical” survey of the chronicle of Zionism and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has drawn most of the Israeli criticism. According to Prime Minister Netanyahu, the survey underscored the root of the conflict: “The Palestinians’ rejection of the existence of a Jewish state in any borders.”
For the Palestinians, too, particularly the younger among them, much of the speech must have sounded like a tiresome history lesson. Yet political speeches of this kind often have more than one audience in mind. In this case, Israeli society with its various factions and leaders, along with the international community, was the main audience. Appealing to fashionable legal and moral fads, particularly in Western Europe, Abbas again set forth the supposedly problematic aspects of Zionism. His “historical survey” undoubtedly fails the minimum test of facts, but it is uncritically accepted in many circles. This poses a real challenge to Israeli policymakers and opinion shapers.
By every historical account, the Zionist revolution – the incredible ingathering of the exiles and the establishment of the flourishing and highly successful state of Israel – is a unique and unprecedented phenomenon. Those who insist on viewing it as yet another immigration wave among the 20th century global population movements fail to grasp the real nature of this revolution. In this respect, Abbas touched the key issue that, in his eyes, made the Palestinians the main victim of Zionism: if the Jews yearn for a safe haven, and the international community wants to provide them with one, why does it have to be in Palestine, at the Palestinians’ expense? (h/t Elder of Lobby)
- Tuesday, February 13, 2018
- Elder of Ziyon
Palestine Today reports that there are articles and social media posts encouraging a new kind of "resistance" - a massive march of Gazans towards Israel.
The movement is called "The Great Return March" and it has a Facebook page. The goal is to get "millions" of Gazans to march towards Israel.
After all, they say, Israel does not know how to defend itself against thousands of humans.
One advocate of the march, Akram Atallah, says, "Israel has prepared itself for all wars, but not the possibility of confronting a flood of human beings."
The implication is that Israel would never kill Gaza civilians who don't pose a threat to life. But they won't say that part out loud.
Also, they forget that Palestinians have tried this before. In 2011, protesters from Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Gaza and the West Bank tried to simultaneously enter Israel on "Nakba Day." A few hundred from Gaza were deterred when Israel fired some rounds towards them; one was reportedly killed. The Lebanese, Egyptian and Jordanian armies actively stopped the marchers from their borders.
We have lots of ideas, but we need more resources to be even more effective. Please donate today to help get the message out and to help defend Israel.
The movement is called "The Great Return March" and it has a Facebook page. The goal is to get "millions" of Gazans to march towards Israel.
After all, they say, Israel does not know how to defend itself against thousands of humans.
One advocate of the march, Akram Atallah, says, "Israel has prepared itself for all wars, but not the possibility of confronting a flood of human beings."
The implication is that Israel would never kill Gaza civilians who don't pose a threat to life. But they won't say that part out loud.
Also, they forget that Palestinians have tried this before. In 2011, protesters from Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Gaza and the West Bank tried to simultaneously enter Israel on "Nakba Day." A few hundred from Gaza were deterred when Israel fired some rounds towards them; one was reportedly killed. The Lebanese, Egyptian and Jordanian armies actively stopped the marchers from their borders.
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