Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Wednesday, November 04, 2020

Iranian Student Basij: "Because of COVID, burn American flags at home"

Given the coronavirus pandemic, the traditional Student Day march marking the anniversary of the Tehran United States embassy seizure will not be held for the first time in four decades. But an official of the student section of the Basij militia has said students should instead set fire to the US flag at home and circulate video clips to commemorate the occasion.

Speaking on a television news program on Sunday [November 1], Mojtaba Bastan, Acting Head of the Student Basij Organization, announced a campaign called ‘Everyone Together [Says] Down with the USA.’ Bastan said that at nine o'clock on Tuesday students and their parents should “trample on and set fire” to the flags of the US, Israel and France on their rooftops or courtyards while shouting ‘Down with America.’

Bastan asked students to make one-minute video clips and post them to a specially-created website, while adding their names to a statement ‘US Must Exit [Middle East] Region.’ The website features the competitions ‘Why Down with the USA?’ and ‘Message to American Soldiers,’ for which students can enter drawings, essays, voice recordings and video clips.

I can only imagine the emotional trauma that these students had at not being able to gather together to burn American flags, and their joy at finding out that they could do it in their own homes (or maybe outside, for the smarter ones.)

Unfortunately, I could not find the website where students uploaded their ecstatic flag-burning videos yesterday. It didn't seem to be linked from the main Student Basij Organization site.

I did see this:

The statement of the student mobilization of Payame Noor University of Ilam province states: "We do not trade our independence and freedom with anything from the yoke of arrogance and we note the endurance and spirit of jihad and resistance and martyrdom in the revolutionary and provincial youth until the complete destruction of global arrogance. The freedom of the oppressed of the world from the yoke of arrogance continues."

It sounds very spontaneous and heartfelt.

(h/t Ben R)

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11/04 Links Pt1: Micahel Oren: A fateful election for Israel; Europe battles Islamists, Jews remain canary in the coal mine; France’s War on Islamism Isn’t Populism. It’s Reality.

From Ian:

Micahel Oren: A fateful election for Israel

Nevertheless, a Biden administration would challenge Israel on two core issues: The first is a diplomatic process that would see the government shirk US President Donald Trump's "deal of the century" and return to the framework adopted by former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, meaning a two-state solution based upon the 1967 borders and a Palestinian capital in east Jerusalem.

The government would reopen the Palestinian Embassy in Washington, closed by Trump as well as the American Consulate in east Jerusalem, which prior to Trump served as the de-facto US Embassy to the Palestinians. The administration would further renew American aid to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, as well as other Palestinian institutions cut off by Trump. The administration would also revert to opposing Israeli construction in Judea and Samaria, as well as in unified Jerusalem, which it considers to be an "obstacle to peace."

From our perspective, however, it is Biden's stated intention of bringing the US back into the Iran nuclear deal and rolling back sanctions on the Tehran regime that is more problematic. Such a move would spare the Iranian regime from financial ruin and aid Tehran in once again conquering significant portions of the Middle East to be used as outposts against Israel. This would present a real strategic threat.

In contrast, should US President Donald Trump win a second term in office, he will certainly adhere to his current policy, which has been the most pro-Israeli of any American president since the founding of the Jewish State. These are not just gestures, like the transfer of the US Embassy to Jerusalem and the recognition of Israeli sovereignty in the Golan Heights, but significant steps, like standing with Israel at the UN and other international organizations.

For the first time in history, there has not been one American condemnation of any Israeli military of political activity in the four years of Trump's tenure. Nevertheless, Trump has made no secret of his intentions of entering negotiations with Iran. Should he win re-election, Israel should be prepared for such a scenario.

A steadfast partnership

The pervasive view of these shared interests throughout the world, and even in the US and in Israel, stems from either deep ignorance or deliberate distortion. This view seeks to present US-Israel ties as the fruit of American affinity for Israel, US Jewish support, or the work of the pro-Israel lobby, all of which go against the "genuine" American interest in support for the "Arabs."

Yet almost all of the Arabs that matter to the US act on the advice of Israel and trust Israel. In addition, even those presidents who were less sympathetic to Israel, and even anti-Semitic like Richard Nixon, implemented policies that assisted Israel. Presidents, like Barack Obama, who saw themselves as supporters of Israel, sought to "save" the country from itself. And while the American Israel Public Affairs Committee is a dedicated and savvy sales agent for the State of Israel, if the "goods" Israel was selling were flawed, not even the most talented agent could continue to sell the country as well as it has for the past three generations. It is also worth noting that Jews make up less than two percent of the American electorate. A majority of them do not see Israel as a top issue and cast their vote automatically for Democrats.

Israeli "goods" are sought after because of the afore-mentioned ethos but largely due to American interests. From the US standpoint, Israel, situated in the one of the most important regions in the world, encompasses important virtues that no other ally does: Israel is strong, stable, responsible, determined, and always pro-American. Israel is the only US ally that does not ask American soldiers to fight its wars. It is militarily, economically, and technologically strong. It is a democracy that has proven its stability even in times of crisis. Its responsibility is reflected in its restraint in the face of the ongoing threats it has faced for generations, the likes of which no democratic country has ever experienced, and in the extreme caution it has exerted in relation to the strategic capabilities attributed to it.

Among democratic countries, it is difficult to find a comparable determination to act in times of crisis. At no point in time has Israel ever not stood with the American camp. While Israel is still the junior partner of the US superpower, it is not a negligible one. The US has been forced to downsize its physical presence in the Middle East in order to focus its attention on Asia, and the South China Sea in particular. But it can only allow itself to pivot this way if it knows it is leaving a coalition of pro-American countries interested in maintaining relative stability in the region behind. Strong, stable, loyal Israel is a vital tier in this coalition.

Presidents come and go. Some act in consultation with Israel, while others are for less receptive to its needs. Beyond these important differences, we must remember there exists a strong ethical and strategic framework for deep partnership, one that has survived unfriendly governments in the past.

Suggestion to Israel: Forget about the Jews of America

No matter who wins the American elections, I have a suggestion for the State of Israel – forget about the Jews of America.

Election surveys reveal that 72-75 percent of the Jews in America are voting for Biden, turning their backs on the Jewish State, which clearly favored the re-election of President Donald Trump. In effect, they voted against Israel, against Judaism, and against G-d.

Who needs them?

In contrast, the 25% who, it is predicted, voted for Trump, by and large support the State of Israel and cherish the values of Judaism. They are true friends of Israel.

True, when it comes to making Aliyah, they balk, for whatever reason. If they choose to join us, great, they are more than welcome. If not, they will perish with the Jews for Biden.

So why should Israel continue to waste a fortune of money on programs of Diaspora education and aliyah? With the expensive programs or without them, roughly the same number of idealistic Jews would make Aliyah each year.

US Election and Ramifications on Iran Nuclear Deal

Palestinian killed after pulling gun at checkpoint, Arab media calling it an 'execution" (UPDATES)

This morning, the IDF killed an Arab terrorist who tried to carry out a shooting attack in the Huwarra checkpoint in Samaria.

The terrorist, Bilal Adnan Rawajba, pulled out a gun, aimed it at IDF fighters, possibly fired, and then they responded by firing and neutralizing him.

Video shows that cars would be routinely waved through the checkpoint until Rawajba's car where security forces quickly ran to deal with an issue; one cannot tell more from the video. A second video from a nearby car, appended above, captures gunshots after they had started.

However, on his Facebook page he seemed to say goodbye very shortly before the attack.

The official Palestinian Wafa "news" agency, however, reported the facts a bit differently, saying the IDF "executed" him for no reason at the checkpoint.

Rawajba worked for the Palestinian security forces. His wife had a baby just three months ago.

UPDATES:

New video footage shows that there were two gunshots from Rawajba's car. You can see the dust kicked up from his bullets on the sidewalk and then on the concrete barrier:

Also, two more photos of Rawajba from his Facebook page.

(h/t David K, Tomer Ilan)

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The wonderful Einat Wilf summarized Donald Trump's accomplishments in bringing peace to the region:

[Trump] understood that at the core of the conflict, the Arab and Islamic world view Israel as a foreign implant in the region. He understood that in order to bring peace, it must be understood by the Arab world that Israel is here to stay, that Israel is an indigenous, permanent presence in the region. He did everything to demonstrate that America has Israel's back, and America will not have any more of the indulgence towards the decades long Palestinian intransigence. This is why we are beginning now to reap the fruits of that policy.

This is the most succinct and accurate summary I have seen.

Biden is not anti-Israel. He is an old time pro-Israel Democrat, where there is faith in the UN, where the Western European opinions are respected, where the two state solution is almost a religion. None of these old-time Democrats want Israel to disappear as a Jewish state and there is a fervent belief that a Palestinian state will save Israel from becoming an apartheid state.

But Democrats, and Republicans before Trump, have shown no interest in how the Arab world has looked at Israel.

The honor/shame society of the Arab world is based on perceptions, not facts. Honor comes from how one is viewed, not how one actually is. This is almost hardwired into the Arab psyche and one cannot understand the Middle East without understanding this.

Every time the West would say that they support a Palestinian state, every time they said Jerusalem is negotiable, every time they said the Golan is occupied, every time they paid lip service to even symbolic "return" of "refugees," the Arab world interpreted this as world pressure on Israel that would likely result in the eventual end of Israel as a Jewish state. The idea that Israel would give back land it won in war, or that Israel would allow Palestinians to "return," or that Israel would willingly give up Jewish holy sites is perceived not as peacemaking but as weakness.

Weak countries don't last in a region where strength is respected.

Pro-Israel speeches by any American politician of any party are considered meaningless by Arabs. After all, Arab leaders themselves mouthed support for Palestinians that they didn't follow through with. In the Middle East, only actions are respected.

Trump did actions.

Jerusalem. The Golan. Closing the PLO mission. Leaving the UNHRC in support of Israel. All of these showed that the US support for Israel was not just rhetoric but was backed up with action to send a message: Israel is here to stay and a superpower is solidly on its side against its enemies.

That message has been heard loud and clear by the Arab nations. And once Israel is seen as permanent and powerful, they change their mindset from "how do we make Israel disappear?" to "how can we use Israel to our advantage?"

The old mentality leads to war. The new thinking leads to peace.

This is not entirely Trump, of course. Netanyahu's brilliant foreign policy in establishing relationships with nations worldwide, his emphasis on Israel's economic growth, the Internet giving Arabs another perspective besides their state-run propaganda media, Arabs getting Western educations where they learn win/win thinking, the looming Iranian threat - all of these contribute to a change in how Arabs look at Israel. But Trump's moves accelerated that change.

It is inconceivable that the UAE, Bahrain and Sudan would have made peace with Israel under any other administration.

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Saudi preacher Ali Al-Maliki sparked controversy on social networking sites after a video clip was circulated where he says that the the purpose of a wife is not to serve her husband, but as a "tool for enjoyment."

In the video he said, "I will stipulate that whoever marries my daughter should bring her a maid, and my daughter should not serve him at all."

Al-Maliki framed this in terms of women's rights, saying that in some marriages the wife is forced to jeopardize her health to serve her husband and this is not good.

At first, women thought he was saying something good, until they realized that Al Maliki was still saying that a woman is a servant of her husband, whether it is a servant of labor or a servant of what he euphemistically calls "pleasure."

The human rights of the maid are not discussed by anyone.

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11/03 Links Pt2: Caroline Glick: The isolated American Jews; Oslo peace accords architect resigns as think tank CEO over Epstein link; Bari Weiss Addresses the UN Watch 2020 Online Gala

From Ian:

Caroline Glick: The isolated American Jews

British Jewry abandoned Labour in droves and devoted their communal efforts to calling out and fighting anti-Semitism in the Labour Party after Corbyn first won the leadership race in 2015. Some 90% of British Jews voted for Conservatives in last year's elections. In contrast, American Jews are among President Trump's most outspoken and peripatetic demonizers.

What explains the yawning gap between American Jews and other Western Jewish communities, not to mention between American Jews and Israeli Jews?

American Jews are giving the Democratic Party a pass for abandoning them because they don't want to acknowledge that they are being abandoned. Despite the progressives' hostility to the Jews, the Jews want to remain progressives.

Among the progressive Jews who have noticed the rise of anti-Semitic forces in their party, they are consoled and given permission to remain in the party from Jewish leaders and public figures who insist that while things are not perfect, or even good in their own camp, they can stay because Trump – while nice to Israel – is a crypto-Nazi.

Repeated, fact-free slanders from the likes of Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt and from writer Bari Weiss alleging that Trump praised white supremacists at the Charlottesville riots in 2017 – even when he condemned them, both during and immediately after the riots three times; along with allegations that Trump dog-whistles to white supremacists and thus enables their attacks against Jews, enable progressive Jews who are concerned about what is happening in their party to stay put despite their concerns.

Skyrocketing assimilation rates among American Jews indicate that all things being equal, most Jews on the political Left will cease identifying as Jews within a generation and a half. So, too, the rise of anti-Zionist American Jews who support the annihilation of Israel as a Jewish state indicates that in the coming years, more likely than not, American Jews will take leading roles in the Democratic/progressive campaign against Israel. Notably, two months after he called for Israel to be destroyed in a column in the New York Times, last month the NYT gave leading American Jewish anti-Zionist Peter Beinart a regular column.

As their massive support for Biden indicates, regardless of what the future holds for them, American Jews today are isolated more than ever before. They are isolated within their political camp which doesn't care about them, and they are isolated within the Jewish world.

Ruthie Blum: This election goes beyond the candidates

On the other hand, the battle goes well beyond the personalities of the incumbent and his rival, which is why many people championing the former are just as put off by his manner as those who would rather die than see him remain at the helm. Indeed, the outcome of this election will determine the very character – and reveal the self-image – of the United States.

At an Independence Day ceremony at Mt. Rushmore on July 3, Trump summed it up as follows: "Our nation is witnessing a merciless campaign to wipe out our history, defame our heroes, erase our values and indoctrinate our children ... This left-wing cultural revolution is designed to overthrow the American Revolution."

Ironically, it is a description with which the "squad" – House Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Ilan Omar (D-MN.), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) – would agree, albeit without the negative adjectives. They make no bones about their dim view of the country that they wish to reshape in their "progressive" image. They do not hide their intention to undo all of Trump's economic accomplishments at home and foreign-policy successes abroad.

Omar recently said that if and when Biden becomes president, all cabinet positions should and will go to members of her camp. She knew when she uttered those words that it didn't matter whether the Democratic candidate was listening.

She was right not to care, because it is the radical arm of the already extremely liberal party that is pulling the strings with or without Biden at the helm.

Danny Danon: US Election Day: The issue that should concern us all

The Iranians invented the game of chess. Now they tensely wait for the next move, the most significant one immediately after the election. Trump has led a courageous policy of withdrawing from the Iranian nuclear deal and imposing significant sanctions. He recently hinted that he will be willing to enter direct negotiations with Iran. Biden has addressed the Iranian issue many times and also expressed his commitment to preventing a nuclear Iran.

His recent interviews have indicated that he is keen to reenter the JCPOA, improve the agreement and correct its shortcomings.

The US Department of Defense is busily preparing strategies and options in the face of the continuation of the Iranian nuclear race. However, before the president-elect enters the briefing on Iran, he must take into account a number of basic assumptions.

First, there is no probationary period. The Iranians do not work according to the US election schedule. While the US’s attention has largely shifted to the fight against COVID-19 and its own presidential election, Iran’s nuclear industry and concealment efforts have advanced at astonishing speed.

Second, any agreement with Iran is doomed to be breached. Prior to the signing of the nuclear agreement, Israel issued warning calls against the deal. Not long after, we witnessed live the full disclosure of Iran’s deception and the revelation of the Iranian nuclear archive, which unveiled the Iranian nuclear machine. We have heard unequivocal rulings by the International Atomic Energy Agency and have noted the numerous UN Security Council resolutions. With these facts at their disposal, it is clear to everyone that Iran has violated the previous agreement, and will unequivocally continue to violate any future agreement.

Third, the only language that leads to a real dialogue with Iran is the language of sanctions. It is this and the subsequent economic pressure that effectively motivates the Iranian leadership to recalculate its course. Yet, worryingly, there is not much time before the “sunset clause” kicks into force and the restrictions on the Iranian nuclear program will expire.

Mr. President-elect, the elections are clearly for the position of president of the United States. However, they are also an appointment for the leader of the free world. Tackling the Iranian issue is the most crucial challenge we face in our free and democratic society.

Malawi is not one of the biggest countries on the planet. It is not one of the most famous or important nations.

But it just did something very big.

It confirmed that it plans to open up a full embassy in Jerusalem by next summer.

Up until now, only the US and Guatemala have opened embassies in Jerusalem, with Honduras planning a move by the end of the year.

Up until now, Israel haters could find ways to marginalize the nations that made that move.

But there is a huge difference between 2 and 3, or between 3 and 4. Each nation that makes that decision makes it enormously easier for the next nation to make the move.

Not only that, but Malawi watched what happened to Guatemala and Honduras.

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation threatened to boycott Guatemalan exports, specifically cardamom, worth hundreds of millions of dollars. In the end - the threats were empty and nothing happened.

The EU has expressed displeasure at countries considering moving their embassies. But nothing happened there either.

Malawi is seeing Sudan recognize Israel, and Israel's good relationships with other African countries. It sees that there is no disadvantage on moving. Perhaps the US or Israel offered something in trade for the move, but that is normal diplomacy.

This is a very big deal. Malawi would be the first African country to make the move. It did the calculus and decided that the gains it could get by getting chummier with Israel more than counters the threats from some Arab countries.

And, of course, Bahrain and the UAE normalizing relations with Israel weakens the Arab anti-Israel consensus immeasurably.

The momentum towards accepting Israel and ignoring the anti-Israel bias of the Arab nations, the EU and the UN is slowly growing. But it is unmistakable.

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Israeli Jews overwhelmingly prefer Trump - but Israeli Arabs do, too

The Israel Democracy Institute issued results of a survey a day before the US election day, asking whether Republican incumbent Trump or his Democratic challenger Biden is the preferred candidate, “from the standpoint of Israel’s interests.”

The results are a solid proof that liberal Zionist groups, such as J-Street, don't know what they are talking about.

J-Street likes to represent itself as caring about what is best for Israel - the JCPOA deal with Iran, ripping up Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, a two state solution. It endorsed Joe Biden in great part because of his policies towards Israel, Palestinians and Iran.

Israelis, by an overwhelming majority, strongly disagree with J-Street as to what is best for Israel.

Israeli Jews say that Trump is the preferred candidate from the perspective of Israel's interests by a stunning 70%-13% margin.

Not only that, but Israeli Arabs tend to agree, with a plurality (36-31) saying Trump is the preferred candidate.

This was reflected by Israeli Jews who are on the political Right and Center. The Israeli Right prefers Trump by a landslide 82-6, and the Center prefers Trump by an enormous 62-16 majority.

But even the vanishingly small number of Israelis who openly identify with the Left were split 50/50 between whether Trump or Biden were better for Israel!

J-Street, which pretends to be in the broad liberal center, is far to the left of the most leftist Israelis, who are as comfortable with Trump as they are with Biden.

Either Israelis know nothing about their own country and they need J-Street to teach them what is best for them, or J-Street is openly lying about wanting what is best for Israel.

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11/03 Links Pt1: 4 killed in Vienna ‘Islamist terror attack’; Jewish institutions to remain shut; All of Israel is “Palestine” in Fatah message; Malawi to move embassy to Jerusalem

From Ian:

4 killed in Vienna ‘Islamist terror attack’; Jewish institutions to remain shut

Austrian security forces were carrying out a massive manhunt Tuesday for at least one attacker still on the run, a day after several gunmen opened fire at multiple locations across central Vienna, killing at least four people and wounding 15 more.

“We experienced an attack last night by at least one Islamist terrorist,” Interior Minister Karl Nehammer told reporters.

“This is a radicalized person who felt close to IS,” said Nehammer, referring to the Islamic State terror group.

Two of the dead were men and two were women. No details were given on their identities.

On attacker was shot dead by police, and a manhunt was underway for at least one more assailant. Austrian authorities have not publicly identified the attackers.

Police said at least one of the attackers was wearing what appeared to be an explosives belt that turned out to be fake.

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz described the assault as a “repulsive terror attack” and said he could not rule out an anti-Semitic motive for the onslaught, given that the shooting began outside Vienna’s main synagogue. It was closed at the time.

Early Report: 7 Reported Killed in Ongoing Shooting Near Jewish Community Center in Vienna

‘Israel stands with Austria,’ Netanyahu tells Kurz after Vienna attack

Israel and Austria are sharing intelligence in the aftermath of a shooting at a Vienna synagogue, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday.

Netanyahu said he spoke to Austrian Chancellor Sebastia Kurz and told him “the people of Israel stand with Austria…against the savagery of Islamist terrorism.

“We are cooperating in every way, with our intelligence and every other way we can,” Netanyahu added.

The prime minister made the remarks in a statement with Romanian Prime Minister Ludovic Orban, who was in Jerusalem.

PM Netanyahu: "I spoke to our colleague @sebastiankurz in Austria. I told him the people of Israel stand with Austria, as I know the people of Romania do and so many others, against the savagery of Islamist terrorism. We are cooperating with our intelligence and every other way" pic.twitter.com/gupxJBpchh
— PM of Israel (@IsraeliPM) November 3, 2020

Our prayers are with the people of Vienna after yet another vile act of terrorism in Europe. These evil attacks against innocent people must stop. The U.S. stands with Austria, France, and all of Europe in the fight against terrorists, including radical Islamic terrorists.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 3, 2020

Vienna's Chief Rabbi Schlomo Hofmeister has told LBC he saw multiple gunmen firing into bars and restaurants during tonight's attack@TomSwarbrick1 pic.twitter.com/IRHXrDn4m2
— LBC (@LBC) November 2, 2020

Dr. Nasser Al-Lahham, editor of the independent Ma'an Palestinian news agency, has been very honest lately about his antisemitism,

Now he is being honest about the purpose of UNRWA "refugee" camps under Palestinian Authority rule.

There is no definition of "refugee" that says that one can be a refugee while living in their own land. But there are roughly 1.4 million people called refugees in UNRWA camps in the West Bank and Gaza. No one ever demands that these camps be dismantled and the people become normal citizens of the Palestinian Authority.

And very few people ask why that is.

Nasser al-Lahham explains it, though. In his latest editorial, he says that Palestinian UNRWA camps are "the solution, not the problem."

He writes:

In the West Bank alone, there are about one million three hundred thousand refugees [actually, less than 900,000 - EoZ.] They paid the blood tax, carried the embers, and followed the path of the revolution four generations, generation after generation, without fatigue or boredom. And without giving up the demand for the right of return, no matter how long it takes.

If you don't quite get it, he is more explicit:

The camps are not a problem for anyone. It is always the solution. They are the tanks of the revolution and the ships of return. And whoever does not like that, this is his personal problem.

UNRWA refugee camps are weapons. They always have been. Their purpose is to keep Palestinian Arabs in squalid looking living spaces so that the media can sometimes take photos of them and say "poor people, all because of Israel." There is no desire to dismantle the camps because the misery of the residents is not a problem - it is the goal.

If the camps are weapons, the residents are cannon fodder.

This is what you need to understand about the Palestinian cause. It was never a nationalist movement. A nationalist movement would want all Palestinians to become citizens. A nationalist movement would do all they can to help all Palestinians have honorable lives. A nationalist movement would not tolerate keeping its own people in camps for decades when they are living in areas controlled by their own leaders.

No, the entire point is and always has been to destroy the Jewish state.

Al-Lahham should be thanked for saying this explicitly.

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Jewish Currents, the hard-Left socialist site for which Peter Beinart is an editor, has an article by Caroline Morganti that attempts to disprove the oft-cited figure that 95% of American Jews are pro-Israel.

Its main point is that the 95% number came from a series of Gallup polls with a very small sample size of 128 Jews among a much larger survey of Americans, so it has a large margin of error.

This is true. But when you look objectively at all of the data gathered in this article, you see that it still largely holds up.

Most surveys of American Jews do not ask whether they are "pro-Israel." They ask whether they have an emotional attachment to Israel. The wording is important, so let's look at the major surveys of Jews - all of which are accurately described in this article, even as it tries to spin the results.

Pew’s 2013 survey found that 69% of American Jews were somewhat (39%) or very (30%) emotionally attached to Israel, while 31% were not very (22%) or not at all (9%) attached. Eighty-seven percent of American Jews said that caring about Israel is either essential (43%) or at least important (44%) to what being Jewish means to them.

Being emotionally attached is obviously a higher bar than just being pro-Israel, although Morganti absurdly tries to argue that many people might be emotionally connected because they hate Israel so much:

But what about respondents who are highly critical of Israel, but for whom their relationship with the country nonetheless comprises a significant part of their Jewish engagement? Could questions about “closeness” to Israel elicit confusion among respondents who might feel close on the basis of lived experiences, personal relationships, or political engagement, but simultaneously feel distant based on political alienation, or even deeply held moral objections to Israeli policy?

There is, of course, zero evidence that people would answer that way.

Far more interesting is this 2018 Mellman poll of Jewish voters:

[This] poll of 800 American Jewish voters asked respondents which of the following best described them: “Generally pro-Israel and supportive of the current Israeli government’s policies” (32%); “Generally pro-Israel but also critical of some of the current Israeli government’s policies” (35%); Generally pro-Israel but also critical of many of the current Israeli government’s policies” (24%); or “Generally not pro-Israel” (3%).

5% had no answer, but one cannot argue with the conclusion that only 3% of American Jews identify as "generally not pro-Israel." That is pretty tiny! And few of them would describe themselves as "anti-Zionist" which means that the percentage of anti-Zionist American Jews is ridiculously small.

A similar poll done by Mellman for the Ruderman Foundation among all American Jews, not just voters, gave similar results with slightly higher numbers for the "generally not pro-Israel" question:

The results showed a significant difference in the percentage of respondents who chose a pro-Israel option. In the Ruderman poll, about 80% of the general sample of American Jews chose pro-Israel options as opposed to the average of about 90% over the three JEI surveys of American Jewish voters.

The pro-Israel answers in the Ruderman poll included a relatively even split of those who were supportive (23%), critical of some (28%), and critical of many (29%) Israeli policies. Six percent were “generally not pro-Israel,” and 14% did not have a view.

It is no surprise that younger Jews are less invested in Israel. But the anti-Zionists, many of whom write for Jewish Currents, like to pretend that anti-Zionists are a significant percentage of American Jews - and that simply isn't true. Out of the 6%, chances are many or most of those would not actively identify as anti-Zionist. There is a big difference between "generally not pro-Israel" and actively being against the existence of a Jewish state.

Given this overwhelming evidence that anti-Zionism is a fringe opinion, Morganti makes up her own theory based on a question asked in 2018 in an AJC poll:

The AJC survey included a question that it had never asked before: “Can Israel be both a Jewish state and a democracy, and if not, which should it be?” Around two-thirds of respondents (68%) answered yes, Israel could and should be both Jewish and democratic. But about one-fifth (20%) of American Jews said, “No, it should be a democracy.” (A further 7% said, “No, it should be a Jewish state,” and 4% had no opinion.)

In other words, when asked directly whether Israel can reconcile its Jewishness and democracy, roughly 20% of American Jews (the margin of error was plus or minus 3.9%) said that Israel cannot be both, and that it should be a democratic state rather than a Jewish state—an answer that might be considered a non- or anti-Zionist position by contemporary standards.

That is incredible wishful thinking from Israel haters. Most of the people surveyed probably never thought much about the issue before the question came up; it is just as likely that the ones who answered "democracy" assumed it would have a Jewish majority anyway so the Jewish part of the question was not considered. Or perhaps they were thinking in terms of whether Israel should have personal issues follow Jewish law. Without followup questions, it is impossible to know what those 20% felt, but assuming that they are anti-Israel is quite a stretch.

Perhaps saying that 95% of American Jews support Israel is too high. No doubt many are becoming agnostic about Israel as they drift from identifying as Jews altogether.

But one thing are clear: Even though the question was not directly asked, the number of Jews who identify as anti-Zionist is tiny compared to the numbers who support having a Jewish state.

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Abbas tells Macron that no one should be allowed to insult Mohammed

French President Macron spoke to PLO head Mahmoud Abbas on the phone on Monday.

According to the official Wafa news agency, Macron emphasized his desire for a two-state solution. But then Abbas said his opinion on the cartoon controversy:

President Abbas stressed during this telephone conversation the need for everyone to respect religions and religious symbols and not allow anything offensive to Prophet Muhammad and all prophets and religions while condemning all those who do so. He stressed at the same time his rejection of extremism, violence and terrorism, wherever it came from and in whatever form.

As usual, Muslim leaders couch their demands of what dhimmis and infidels must do in terms of being tolerant to all religions. But in the end it is still a demand that non-Muslims follow Muslim law in determining what is allowed and not allowed - they want to prohibit any image of Mohammed anywhere in the world, no matter how inoffensive.

What about wanting to protect all religious symbols?

Well, the holiest place on Earth according to Judaism is the Temple Mount. There are very specific rules as to where people are allowed to visit, what they are allowed to wear and what they are allowed to do.

But Palestinians play soccer there - which is a direct insult to Judaism and a gross violation of Jewish law.

What happened to Muslim respect for other religions?

Where was the Palestinian outcry to this cartoon distributed by Palestinian NGO Badil, which used a Jewish menorah in its antisemitic theme?

I have never seen any Palestinian respect for Judaism as a religion or Jewish symbols. Gazans enthusiastically destroyed synagogues left behind after Israel withdrew, and I do not recall any objection from the Palestinians.

So when Mahmoud Abbas insists that Muslims respect all religious symbols - he's not telling the truth.

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