Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News

Friday, July 02, 2021

07/02 Links Pt1: The Case against 'Occupied Palestinian Territory'; The EU should stop proposing peace summits and promote the Abraham Accords; Israel needs to stop neglecting wartime media front

From Ian:

The Case against 'Occupied Palestinian Territory'

The Presidents of the European Union and South Africa made the common claim: Israel occupies Palestinian territory. They sought to stop the ‘wrongful’ labelling, ‘Product of Israel’ and substitute it with, ‘Made in a settlement in the ‘Occupied Palestinian Territories’ (OPT)

Martin Schulz, ex President of the EU, warned Israel that Europe will have its way.

"There is enormous pressure, also in the European Parliament, to label products because a lot of my colleagues consider the settlements illegal. They think the rule should be that products coming from regions with an illegal status couldn’t have normal access to the European market."

Advocate for Israel
My Lord, the court will hear evidence that the real estate given the name, ‘Occupied Palestinian Territory’ (OPT) is not real. There are two hard reasons for that:
(1) War records turn up nothing to support the name.
(2) Law and statutes turn up nothing to support it.

Evidence will be led that OPT reflects a political policy or aspiration. There really is no Palestinian territory to be occupied.

Evidence will be led that the move to debar Israeli products made in the ‘OPT’ has everything to do with lobby groups and politics but nothing to do with informing and protecting the customer. To the contrary, the label would trick unwary customers. It would also cast suspicion on any product labelled thus, and be used as a backdoor trade boycott of Israel.

To begin, certain facts of history are too real to dispute. In the 1948 War Egypt took the Gaza Strip, and Jordan took Judea and Samaria, the so-named “West Bank.” Egypt did not claim sovereignty in Gaza, but in 1950 Jordan annexed Judea and Samaria. The annexation was not recognized by the international community, other than Pakistan and the UK. Even the Arab countries objected to what Jordan did. They threatened to kick it out of the Arab League.

After the Six Day War in June 1967 the territories,which were earmarked for the national home of the Jewish people by the (binding) Mandate Charter of San Remo of 1920, finally came under Israeli control. So much for the foundation facts.

With My Lord’s permission I call my first witness. Professor Judge Stephen M Schwebel was elected to the ICC in January 1981. He was subsequently re-elected twice, serving as president of the court from 1997–2000:

"A state [Israel] acting in lawful exercise of its right of self-defense may seize and occupy foreign territory as long as such seizure and occupation are necessary to its self-defence. Where the prior holder of territory had seized that territory unlawfully [Jordan], the state which subsequently takes that territory in the lawful exercise of self-defence has, against that prior holder, a better title. As between Israel, acting defensively in 1948 and 1967, on the one hand, and her Arab neighbours, acting aggressively, in 1948 and 1967, on the other, Israel has the better title in the territory… including the whole of Jerusalem, than do Jordan and Egypt.

"You hear that, Mr Presidents. Israel has more right than Jordan to be occupying the 'West Bank' and more right than Egypt to be occupying Gaza. Or had more right: today not one Jew blights the landscape of Gaza."

Free Palestine? A lesson in sloganeering

The “Free” in “Free Palestine” is not only a verb, but also an adjective. Nothing – at least nothing of lasting, true value in this world – means much if it comes free. You have to work long and hard for the things you hold dear and truly want to accomplish in life; if you are handed them on a silver platter they are no more than hollow shells that will invariably crumble. Palestinians hold their hands out to any and every benefactor, portraying themselves as hapless, helpless victims who cannot stand on their own two feet. And gullible marks, to be sure, are everywhere for the taking; billions of free, unrestricted dollars pour annually into Palestinian coffers from individuals, institutions and governments around the world, freeing the Palestinians to concentrate on screaming for justice, blame everyone else for their troubles and foment acts of terror.

Guess what? We Jews had a much tougher task ahead of us when we established this country. A third of our people had been murdered, we were constantly under attack by our neighbors, and few nations were willing to gamble that we would survive. Poverty was rampant and living conditions primitive. But there were swamps to be drained, fields to be cleared of rocks and then cultivated, roads to be built, and children to be educated, and so we stopped complaining and started working. And we built – from the ground up – a magnificent country that is the envy of the Middle East, if not the entire world. Ironically, we are the role model that you Palestinians should be emulating, not demonizing. “Free” was not in our vocabulary, nor should it be in yours; more often than not, you get what you pay for when the item is free.

But I also accept that the “Free” in your slogan is equally a verb; you just are misdirecting it. Palestine indeed should be freed, but not from Jews or Israel. You should be freed from your tyrannical, self-serving despotic “leaders” who cynically keep you in endless captivity. They pen you up in squalid refugee camps so that they can display you to the world as victims, rather than allow you to live in decent housing. They bombard your brains into believing that violence and bloodshed are your only paths to freedom and dignity. They send you out on terrorist missions and convince you that the only way to succeed is by hurting others, rather than helping yourselves. They keep you captive in a psychological prison where life is denigrated and death is glorified. They exalt the shahid rather than the doctor, scientist, teacher or responsible parent you could and should become.

Your only hope is to break free of these malicious masters, to exercise your free choice and seek a course of peace and compromise rather than eternal war and hatred. But it won’t come easy, and it certainly would help you to have a powerful slogan, one that will energize your cause and direct your energy.

I recommend you borrow one of our favorites, known as the “Golden Rule” of Judaism: “That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow human being.”

IDF Soldier Who Was First Into Entebbe Airport in Legendary July 4, 1976 Operation Speaks

An Israeli special forces veteran who was first into the Entebbe airport terminal during the IDF’s now-legendary 1976 hostage rescue operation spoke about his experience on Thursday and reflected on the death of Yonatan Netanyahu — the operation’s commander and brother of former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Entebbe operation took place on July 4, 1976 after Palestinian and German terrorists hijacked an Air France jet and held 105 Israelis hostage at the Ugandan airport terminal.

Rather than give in to the terrorists’ demands, Israel’s elite Sayeret Matkal unit quickly planned and executed a daring operation that would see Israeli soldiers fly several large transport planes into hostile airspace, land at Entebbe, storm the terminal, kill the terrorists, and free the hostages.

Only one Israeli soldier — Yonatan Netanyahu — died in the operation, though several others were severely wounded. In addition, three hostages were killed. Following the operation, “Yoni” became a national hero.

As the anniversary of the operation approached, Walla reported that Amir Ofer, a former soldier in Sayeret Matkal, recounted how he was the first to burst into the terminal where the hostages were being held.

“I found myself inside,” he said. “I was 22 years old. Let’s say that during the flight (to Entebbe) there was a lot of time to think, to be tense, and perhaps even to be afraid.”

In the battle, however, “you start to run; you’re not thinking any more, you’re not afraid anymore.”

“It was a large hall,” Ofer said of the terminal, and one wall was made of glass, so it “was possible to see from outside what was happening inside.”

The terrorists almost immediately realized what was happening and opened fire.

The messages are completely different depending on the audience

Yesterday, in response to Gaza terror groups sending aerial firebombs to Israel, Israel bombed an empty Hamas arms research factory.

The reactions from the Israel haters completely contradict each other, depending on the audience.

Serial liar CJ Werleman tweeted:

(The Ramadan claim is laughable, by the way.)

The reactions assume that children are dying from these bombings, because that's how the media reports on Israel.

But over in Gaza, Hamas' reaction to the bombing is completely different.

Instead of magnifying it into a crime against humanity, Hamas shrugged it off as a mere symbolic gesture.

Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum described the occupation's bombing of a resistance site at dawn as just for show.

Barhoum said in a statement: "The bombing of one of the resistance sites in Gaza by the Israeli occupation is nothing but a showy reaction to placate its settlers and cover up its escalating crises."

Unlike Werleman, Hamas admits that the target was a Hamas site. Unlike Werleman, Hamas says that the bombing is not a big deal at all.

Major war crime or meaningless fireworks? It all depends on what kind of propaganda you want to spread.

People like to say there will be no peace until "occupation" ends. This is of course nonsense, since there wasn't peace before "occupation."

I noted yesterday a 1929 conference where Arab leaders said there would be no peace until the Balfour Declaration was rescinded.

Yet even that wouldn't go back enough in history to make the Palestinian Arabs happy.

In his opening speech to the "Refuting Israel's Narrative" conference I've been reporting on this week, Palestinian prime minister Mohamed Shtayyeh said something notable.

Shtayyeh said, "The colonization of Palestine did not begin with the Zionist movement, but 15 years before its establishment, as the first colony to be established was Petah Tikva, in 1882."

The land for Petah Tikva was purchased by religious Jews from two Jaffa landowners in 1878. The Ottomans allowed the purchase because the land was considered to be low quality. After initial setbacks and a malaria outbreak, the Jews drained the swamps and managed to build up the land, first as a farm and then as a city.

Even in its earliest days, Petah Tikva was attacked by Arabs. It didn't matter that the land was purchased legally or that it was uninhabitable before the Jews came.

The supposedly moderate Palestinian prime minister reminds us that the Palestinian problem isn't with "occupation" or "colonialism" or "ethnic cleansing" or the other lies they tell the West. Even blaming the Balfour Declaration is false.

Their problem is with Jews.

Suddenly, terrorists are dying of "illnesses"

A surprising coincidence is going on.

On June 11, Hamas member Zakaria Muhammad al-Quqa died of a heart attack.

Also on June 11, Hamas member Mohamed Abdel Raouf Al Mabhouh died of a terminal illness.

On June 16, Islamic Jihad member Muhammad Abu Nimr died after a chronic illness.

On June 27, Hamas member Ahmed Saeed Al-Masry died after a long illness.

The first two were in their sixties, but this is some coincidence.

My guess is that at least three of these people died of injures from the Gaza war, but Hamas and Islamic Jihad do not want to publicize that because they want as high a percentage of civilians to have been killed as possible.

07/01 Links Pt2: Arnold Roth: Will Joe Biden Grant My Daughter Justice?; 'Jewish Supremacy': A Nazi Slur Goes Woke; Seven minutes of hate courtesy of SJP and UMASS Boston

From Ian:

Arnold Roth: Will Joe Biden Grant My Daughter Justice?

Cynics point to the realpolitik of our situation. Jordan is a key U.S. ally; justice for a murdered American girl is simply not worth disrupting such an important alliance. This theory is bolstered by the U.S.’s near-apathetic response to the grisly murder of Washington Post columnist and Saudi journalist, Jamal Khashoggi.

But Jordan offered another explanation. In March 2017, six days after the criminal charges against Tamimi were unsealed and more than two decades after the extradition treaty with the U.S. went into effect, Jordan’s highest court declared the 1995 treaty to be invalid. Jordan’s most senior judges said it had never been ratified by the Jordanian legislature.

That isn’t true. Jordan had indeed ratified the treaty. I know because my wife and I used our right under the Freedom of Information Act to request the 1995 treaty documents from the State Department. When they failed to hand them over, we sued. In April, the State Department released the key documents.

They contained a bombshell.

Writing in regal style and invoking the “guidance of God,” the late King Hussein declared in a July 13, 1995, document addressed to the U.S. government his personal agreement as Jordan’s sovereign “to and ratification of that treaty in whole and in part. We further pledge to carry out its provisions and abide by its Articles, and we, God willing, shall not allow its violation.”

Jordan betrayed the treaty, plain as day. But no U.S. government official has publicly addressed Jordan’s failure to comply with its treaty obligation, let alone protest the moral offense or the insult to American interests and decades of mutually beneficial relations.

Tamimi’s name is vastly better known than that of my child and the other victims. In large part this is because there has not been a single investigative report in any part of the mainstream U.S. media into how the world’s most wanted female fugitive remains free. All of this means you likely know nothing about my daughter Malki and the luminous goodness of her tragically short life. That has been the most humiliating dimension of our battle.

Malki embracing Michal. The girls are buried beside each other.

As a parent seeking justice, I know I need to stay calm and restrained. But I have been suppressing an internal volcano for many years now. Together with my wife, I have implored officials at every level in Jerusalem, Washington and Amman to honor justice, the law, and bilateral treaty relationships by allowing a prosecution of obvious justice to proceed.

We have blogged and written Op-Eds. We have spoken by video conference and addressed live audiences. We have asked for support — and we have been stunned by how almost none of the details were known by our audiences until we conveyed them.

President Joe Biden, who knows well the inexpressible pain of losing a child, has a unique opportunity to deliver us justice. Later this month, Jordan’s King Abdullah II will be paying an official visit to Washington, the first Arab leader to meet personally with the 46th president.

President Biden, we beg you: press him to live up to Jordan’s promise by extraditing Ahlam Tamimi. Let her stand trial for murdering innocent Americans — one of them, my child.

CNN: Not just neo-Nazis with tiki torches: Why Jewish students say they also fear cloaked anti-Semitism

In many ways, Jassey and Flayton feel they are being trapped in the middle by inflamed rhetoric on both sides.

"It was much easier to visualize this when Jews were ghettoized," Flayton explains. "Now, you're talking about a world, a largely online world for the younger generations, in which Jews are being excluded from places now, but just in a different way, but the effect is the same." The fear and antagonism of words is increasingly bleeding into the reality of actions.

Flayton sometimes takes off his yarmulke when he goes out on the streets in New York. He's seen the attacks against people in his own Brooklyn neighborhood, people targeted for being visibly Jewish, and takes the decision with a heavy heart.

"At the end of the day, I don't want to get attacked on the train," he says.

Jassey also worries about the physical impact of it all, rattling off incidents around the country: bottles thrown at Jews eating sushi in Los Angeles; synagogues defaced and defiled; a young Jewish man punched, kicked and pepper-sprayed in New York's Times Square.

Jassey is now nervous about bidding farewell to remote learning and returning to campus in such a charged climate. And she worries about the long-term impact of so many young people being filled with hatred for Jews.

"College anti-Semitism is a small thing until those people grow up," she says. "Those people grow up and became doctors and lawyers and politicians and lawmakers."

Flayton promises to refuse to be cowed, whatever is aimed at him online and off.

"I can't imagine a world where I let that break me, because then they would win," he says. "What they're trying to do right now is bully Jews off and out of the public forum ... because we're saying things they don't like. And it would be a colossal waste if we gave into that. That has never been a winning strategy for our people. Ever." (h/t jzaik)

Democrats Attempt to Rewrite History of Israeli–Palestinian Conflict

Last week, 73 members of the House Democratic Caucus sent a letter to President Biden urging him to reverse what they called “the previous administration’s abandonment of longstanding, bipartisan United States policy” as it relates to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. That revisionist history is a desperate attempt by a non-representative minority of lawmakers hoping to use anti-Trump sentiment to obscure what they are actually doing: advocating against the will of Congress and the American people.

Among the most egregious of the short letter’s follies were several requests the fulfillment of which would actually be illegal, along with several others that rely on gross distortions of the truth about the conflict.

First, the letter pushes for the reopening of a Palestinian consulate in East Jerusalem. As a practical matter, this would be a redundant waste of taxpayer money, because the Jerusalem embassy already provides consular services on a non-discriminatory basis. But it would also run directly against the will of Congress, as expressed in the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995, which provides that “Jerusalem should remain an undivided city.” For the record, that Act was passed by overwhelming bipartisan consensus, in both houses of Congress, 21 years before Trump was elected president.

Opening the Palestinian consulate would also be illegal under the 2018 Taylor Force Act, another law passed by a massive bipartisan congressional consensus, not by Trump. That bill put a hold on any assistance that directly benefits the Palestinian Authority (PA) just and only until the PA stops paying terrorists to kill American and Israeli citizens.

Another of the letter’s requests, that Biden disburse all remaining congressionally appropriated aid to the Palestinians “following all applicable U.S. laws,” is also exposed under the Taylor Force Act as being either remarkably ill-informed or ill-intentioned. As recently as March, the State Department confirmed that “the PA has not revoked any law, decree, regulation, or document authorizing or implementing” its system of structured payments to terrorists. In layman’s terms, that means the U.S. cannot possibly, following all applicable U.S. law, disburse the appropriated aid. Under Trump the PA was held accountable for its laws. Why do the Democrats would want to reverse that and reward their intransigence? (h/t MtTB)

The Palestinian "academic" conference that we've discussed, "The myth: Zionism between denunciation and dismantling" has ended, and it proves what a sham Palestinian "scholarship" is.

Like everything else Palestinian, the truth is strictly optional. The reason to do anything is to find ways to demonize and destroy Israel.

The final statement was given by Khalil Qarajah Al-Rifai, the official spokesman of the conference.

One of the myths Al-Rifai said the conference demolished was the "the myth of the destruction of the First and Second Temples."

Later on, al-Rifai said, "The conference showed the extent of falsehood in our daily life in the mind and thought at all levels by virtue of its influence and its international alliances, and despite this tyranny and tyranny, the Jebusite Arab Canaanite person and those with him from the nation and nations were able to confront the false occupier’s narrative with the Palestinian narrative story."

He claims that Palestinians are Jebusites.

Now, the only mention of Jebusites in the area of ancient Israel is in the Tanach. The only reason we know that such a people existed was from the Hebrew Scripture.

Palestinians are claiming to be the descendants of the Jebusites based on no evidence whatsoever - except their mention in Jewish texts as the inhabitants of Jerusalem. The Palestinians are using that to create a tie between themselves and Jerusalem, which is ridiculous for at least three reasons: There is no record of the Jebusites surviving, the Jebusites were not Arabs, and most of the Palestinians trace their families to Arabia or elsewhere.

Yet even though their entire self-description of being Jebusites comes from the Hebrew Scripture, they suddenly decide that the hundreds of mentions of the Temple in that same Jerusalem that the Jebusites used to live in are - a myth!

This one statement proves that Palestinians pick and choose whatever facts are convenient for them and pretend to refute all others, even though by doing so they end up contradicting themselves.

If you need proof that Palestinian officials are inveterate liars, here is only one example.

Graffiti Artist OK With Getting Just Wealthy Enough To Gentrify One Building (PreOccupied Territory)

Our weekly column from the humor site PreOccupied Territory.

Check out their Facebook page.

graffiti pig Jerusalem, July 4 - An area vandal who bills himself as "anti-capitalist" and "anti-establishment," and whose spray-paint creations lament the loss of "authentic" local culture, acknowledged today that he would not mind hitting the big-time with his work to the extent that he could afford to purchase property in the neighborhood, refurbish it, and perhaps use some of his financial resources to patronize establishments or businesses he cannot access under present fiscal circumstances, to enjoy life more, and maybe, if resources permit, move to a less run-down part of the city, but of course he would never sell out to The Man.

The central-Jerusalem graffiti artist known as DUNN disclosed his modest ambitions today in an interview: breaking down the existing oppressive capitalist system, by force if necessary; putting the means of production into the hands of the workers; ending exploitative practices such as the use of money; and having his wall art attract enough attention and revenue to get him some serious dough, enough to secure him financially and afford him some small, everyday luxuries and conveniences, such as owning his own well-maintained home.

"It's all about values," insisted the former student, who pursued a degree in Political Science before moving into street art as a career. "Our society needs to be shaken up, maybe even burnt down to the foundation, and then rebuilt. Like that place over on Shiloh Street I've had my eye on for a few years. Demolish it, construct a nice, spacious place for me and my peeps, but still have it remain true to the neighborhood. It's a great location, right near the shuk and a bunch of cafes."

A discussion of DUNN's tag and slogans, which adorn multiple buildings in the Nachlaot and downtown neighborhoods of Israel's capital, meandered through topics like a tourist in Nachlaot's alleyways. "Poverty is a weapon of mass destruction," he averred. "Justice demands that we inflict poverty on the exploitative capitalist oligarchs who crush the people with hunger, the latest 'must-have' accessory, denial of medical care, pollution, and sowing division. My art directly targets the fat cats, by undermining their image and forcing them to pay to clean up or cover up the truth, employing minimum-wage laborers to do work they should be doing themselves, the lazy, entitled aristocrats. I'll show them what it's like when I have my own place. You'll see: a healthy dose of with-the-people sensibility will go into my choice of roof tiles, the underfloor heating, and home security system. What do you think of mahogany shelving?"

07/01 Links Pt1: Mr. President, Bring Home My Son; UAE-Israel peace is more than an agreement. It's a way of life; Dear Democrats, Israel is still a vital US interest

From Ian:

Mr. President, Bring Home My Son

Mr. President,

Earlier this week, 73 members of your party in Congress publicly urged you to reverse your predecessor’s policies toward Palestine. It seems like they won’t need to exert much effort to convince you, as earlier this year your administration allocated $235 million to the Palestinians, presented as part of an effort to “restore credible engagement” in the world’s most bitter conflict.

But I am here, sir, with a painful reminder: No American engagement in Israel and the Palestinian territories would ever be credible until my son comes back home.

Here, in case you need it, is the story: Early on August 1, 2014, at the tail end of yet another round of bloodshed provoked by Hamas, a ceasefire finally took hold. It was brokered by the United Nations and the Obama administration. Two hours later, it was blatantly violated when Palestinian terrorists, taking advantage of the lull in fighting, used one of their tunnels to creep into Israel. They shot and killed two soldiers, and abducted another—my son, Lieutenant Hadar Goldin.

Hadar was almost certainly killed in action, and we demanded that his body be returned to us for proper burial. John Kerry, then secretary of state for the administration in which you also served, agreed. “The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms today’s attack,” he said in a statement. “It was an outrageous violation of the ceasefire negotiated over the past several days, and of the assurances given to the United States and the United Nations. Hamas, which has security control over the Gaza Strip, must immediately and unconditionally release the missing Israeli soldier, and I call on those with influence over Hamas to reinforce this message.”

You, Mr. President, now have influence over Hamas. You can, and must, demand that Gaza’s rehabilitation be contingent upon the return of my son and of Oron Shaul, another Israeli soldier whose body is held captive by the terrorist organization.

Sadly, while diplomats—including your new ambassador to the U.N., Linda Thomas-Greenfield—continue to affirm the validity of our case, no concrete pressure has yet been exerted on Hamas or its paymasters in Iran. This week, the organization continued to restore its capabilities, propping up some of the power stations damaged during its recent assault on Israel. When asked if the organization was indirectly enjoying U.S. aid, a State Department spokesman last week said it was possible.

Israelis ‘Surprised’ at Hamas Sitting Next Door in Cairo, as Indirect Talks on Captives Show No Progress

Members of an Israeli delegation attending a Cairo meeting on securing Israeli captives held in Gaza were “surprised” to learn that senior Hamas representatives were sitting in a nearby room, Hebrew media reported Wednesday, with the two sides making no progress so far during indirect negotiations.

The Tuesday meetings, mediated by Egypt, were described by Israeli officials as “preliminary” efforts to bring home two civilians and the remains of two IDF soldiers held by the Hamas terrorist group, Israeli news site Walla reported.

Despite the close proximity of the Israeli and Hamas delegations — the first such indirect talks since the 11-day conflict in May — no progress was made, with Hamas demanding the release of Palestinian security prisoners that have “blood on their hands.”

Hamas holds captive Israeli citizens Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, who crossed into Gaza Strip in 2014 and 2015, as well as the bodies of IDF soldiers Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul.

Walla said that Israel’s security cabinet would convene in the coming weeks to decide whether to maintain a policy of not releasing security prisoners involved in killing Israelis.

On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett pressed Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi on returning the captives held by Hamas, thanking the Egyptian leader for its role in brokering the ceasefire that ended the May conflict.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed and Yair Lapid: UAE-Israel peace is more than an agreement. It's a way of life

As part of the Accords, the UAE, US and Israel also announced the Abraham Fund. Through this fund, the US International Development Finance Corporation, the UAE, and Israel will mobilise more than $3 billion in private sector-led investment and development initiatives to promote regional economic co-operation and prosperity in the Middle East and beyond. In turn, the initiative will generate unprecedented opportunity for the region’s peoples.

Now, two of the world’s most dynamic and advanced societies have begun to create a linked and powerful engine of progress and opportunity, not just for the UAE and Israel but also for the entire region.

This vision is one we share and cherish. The peoples of the UAE and Israel seek to live in a world where peace abounds. In order to achieve this vision, we must work hard to create opportunities for engagement and encourage others to join these efforts. This pursuit can only be bolstered by multilateral co-operation among countries similarly invested in opting for collaboration over confrontation.

While the Abraham Accords were the first of their kind in our region, they represent a future that we believe must become more commonplace: one in which differences are set aside in favour of dialogue. As momentum grows, we are reminded that sometimes the most impactful decisions are those believed to be difficult, if not impossible.

We both want to live in a world where peace is possible. We need to work hard with our peoples and with each other. In order to achieve lasting and sustainable solutions to the issues that our region faces, we will continue to champion the spirit of peace in all efforts to shape a better world for our children. Peace isn't an agreement you sign – it's a way of life. The ceremonies we held this week aren't the end of the road. They are just the beginning.

In doing so – in deciding differently – we choose peace.

The #AbrahamAccords are the future; the relationship between the Jewish people and their neighbors is flourishing, especially people to people, says @lalshareef:
The Israeli embassy in the UAE is the 'foundationn' of our relationship and 'there's no going back' pic.twitter.com/QgDchd8EQG
— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) June 29, 2021

Arsen Ostrovsky on ILTV discussing Israel - UAE relations

Today's antisemitic Jews of IfNotNow and Jewish Voice for Peace have an illustrious antecedent.

From JTA, August 13, 1933:

Although the fortunes of many have been wiped out, although their professions have been taken away from them, and although they live in a state of rigid suspense and fear of the moment when they will be humiliated, beaten, or imprisoned, a large number of German Jews continue to remain faithful to the fatherland.

A few of them even support the current anti-Semitic National Socialist administration because of the party’s policies on non-racial questions. They applaud the party’s success in uniting the various divergent parts of Germany. They strongly approve Germany’s demands for restoration of the old empire and the rearmament of the country. And in certain of its aspects they even support the current action of the Nazis against their race.

Dr. Max Naumann, leader of the Union of National German Jews, (Verband Nationaldeutscher Juden) an organization enrolling seven thousand Jewish citizens of Germany, declared in an interview that Nazi action against Jews was in many ways justified. He further stated that patriotic German Jews did not want the support of foreign [column cut off]

Dr. Naumann scored the Zionists for their retention of Jewish customs and their unquenchable desire to create a Jewish nation. He declared they were intrinsically traitors to the country in which they lived. On this basis he supported Nazi action against the famous scientist, Albert Einstein, because he is a Zionist.

Eastern Jews, according to Dr. Naumann, came to Germany in great numbers immediately after the World War. During the inflation period and financial crisis of 1920-23 almost 600,000 Eastern Jews took advantage of the situation, bought for a few foreign pennies valuable estates, reconverted or mortgaged them after stabilization, and left the country. He estimates the number of Eastern Jews in Germany now at 50,000.

Dr. Naumann believes the German government would be quite within its right in confiscating the properties of Eastern Jews who are now living abroad.

Anti-Zionist? Check.

Dividing Jews into "good assimilationist Jews" and "bad proud Jews"? Check.

Politics above logic and self-preservation? Check.

Sound familiar?

Even in 1935, as members of his group realized that Hitler is not someone to rely on, Naumann held his course - and accused his detractors of being "Zionists."

What happened to Dr. Naumann? From the B'nai B'rith Messenger⁩⁩, 20 December 1935:

Dr Max Naumann , president of the League of National German Jews , is reported under arrest in Berlin and his assimilationist organization has been dissolved by the Nazis .

The reasons given for this dissolution are that this league insisted on its rights to display the German flag — something that is forbidden to Jews by the Nazis — and these so-called German Nationalist Jews had refused to display the Zionist flag which had been reserved by Hitlerism for the Jews ; and the continued repudiation of the racial principle and insistent advocacy of assimilation in defiance of Nazi theories that Jews are a race apart .

The most tragic figure in Germany today is Dr . Max Naumann . He insisted not only on claiming German allegiance but in denying definite Jewish principles in his quest for Germanism . He fought and hated the Zionists and made overtures to the Nazis . Had he been accepted by Hitler , it is possible that not an iota of Jewish loyalty would have stirred him . Now he stands repudiated , his organization is dissolved and his assimilationist cravings are destroyed by the Nazis themselves . Thus Herr Naumann is a shining example of the futility of self-hate . and self-destruction .

Taking the side of the enemies of the Jews invariably ends up badly.

It isn't the "occupation" that precludes peace. It is Palestinian refusal to accept the reality of a Jewish state and Jewish human rights

In May, in the wake of the latest Gaza war, 210 doctors signed a letter to The BMJ medical journal saying that Israel was the source of all evil.

It included this line:

The root cause of this cycle of violence is ultimately the Israeli military occupation and restrictions placed upon the Palestinian population.

This is repeated often, especially by J-Street, but also by scores of "pro-peace" groups and anti-Israel groups.

It is utter garbage, and everyone knows it - because the Arab desire to wipe out Israel pre-dates the "occupation".

I just found an article from 1929 in the Canadian Jewish Chronicle where the Arabs (no one called them Palestinians, of course - those were the Jews) declared, to Great Britain, their prerequisite for peace with Jews:

"That there can be no peace in Palestine as long as the Balfour Declaration stands" will be the representation of an Arab deputation to the parliamentary Commission of Inquiry, it was decided at the conference on October 27 called by the Arab Executive.

...The conference, attended by several hundred Moslem and Christian Arab leaders from all sections of the country as well as twenty-five representatives from Syria and a number from Tiansjordania, presented demands for the immediate abrogation of the temporary regulations existing at the Wailing Wall. Declaring that the temporary regulations have existed too long and disclaiming all responsibility for the consequences if their demands are not heeded, the Arab conference threatened to prevent the Jews from visiting the Wailing Wall altogether.

In these two paragraphs we see the core of the conflict: the inability of Palestinian Arabs to accept Jewish nationalism, or to accept Israel. At the same time, we also see their refusal to accept that Jews have any religious, historical emotional ties to the land of Israel, and threatening to ban Jews from the Western Wall is done without a second thought.

Palestinians still cling to the idea that Israel will disappear. It is in their media all the time - the Crusaders held onto Jerusalem for a total of 103 years before the Muslims reconquered it and the Jews are going to inevitably disappear as well, the thinking goes.

Hamas summer camps are set up so children appear to be conquering Jerusalem. Generations of students in UNRWA schools learn that they will inevitably "return" to conquer Israel.

The remarkable thing about the UAE and Bahrain's normalization agreements is that they are the first Arabs to accept reality, that Israel is not going away and that the Jewish state wants peace, which not coincidentally is a key to their own success.

Until the Palestinians learn that Israel is a reality and is not going to be destroyed, they will continue to harbor hopes that Israel can be defeated militarily.

In 2014, 60% of Palestinians said that their five year national goal should be to destroy Israel. 66% have said that a two-state solution is only a stage to destroy Israel.

It is fantasy that causes Palestinians to believe that they will destroy Israel - but it is a fantasy that the world is in no hurry to dispel.

This is the core issue. Once Palestinians accept reality, they can learn to work with an eager Israel on a peace deal.

But until then, they are the only obstacle to peace.

From AP:

The crisis, which began in late 2019, is rooted in decades of corruption and mismanagement by a post-civil war political class that has accumulated debt and done little to encourage local industries, forcing the country to rely on imports for almost everything.

The Lebanese pound has nose-dived, banks have clamped down on withdrawals and transfers, and hyperinflation has flared.

The liquidity crunch is crippling the government's ability to provide fuel, electricity and basic services. A shortage of dollars is gutting imports of medical supplies and energy.

The fuel shortage has especially raised fears that the country could become paralyzed. Even private generators, used by the Lebanese for decades, have to be switched off for hours to conserve diesel.

"We are really in hell," tweeted Firas Abiad, director general of Rafik Hariri University Hospital, which leads the country's coronavirus fight. Despite a heat wave, the hospital decided Monday to turn off the air conditioning, except in medical departments.

Electricity cuts have affected internet connections in various cities, while bakeries warn they might have to close due to fuel shortages.

The situation has become critical in recent weeks, with scuffles and shootings at gas pumps, including one in the northern city of Tripoli, where the son of one station's owner was killed.

Many Lebanese decry their leaders' inability or unwillingness to work together to resolve the crisis.

The country has been without a working government since Prime Minister Hassan Diab's Cabinet resigned days after the massive explosion at Beirut's port on Aug. 4, 2020, that killed 211 people and injured more than 6,000. The catastrophic blast was caused by nearly 3,000 tons of highly explosive ammonium nitrate that had been improperly stored there for years.

AFP gives only one example of how bad things are:

With prices soaring in crisis-hit Lebanon, Sherine can no longer afford sanitary pads. So instead each month, she is forced to make her own using baby nappies or even rags.

"With all the price hikes and the frustration of not being able to manage, I'd rather stop having my period altogether," the 28-year-old told AFP, tears rolling down her cheeks.

The price of menstrual pads, the vast majority of which are imported, has risen by almost 500 percent since the start of a financial crisis the World Bank has dubbed likely one of the world's worst since the 1850s.

Packs of sanitary towels now cost between 13,000 and 35,000 Lebanese pounds -- between $8.60 and $23 at the official exchange rate -- up from just 3,000 pounds ($2) before the economic crisis.

With more than half the population living in poverty, tens of thousands of women are now on a desperate hunt for affordable alternatives.

There is chaos in Tripoli as rioters attack soldiers:

Gunmen took to the streets in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli on Wednesday, firing in the air and at times throwing stones at soldiers amid rising anger at power cuts, fuel shortages and soaring prices.
The anger was fueled by rumors that a young girl died after electricity cuts stopped a machine that supplied her with oxygen. A Lebanese security official denied the rumors and reports on social media about the girl. He spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

But the soldiers don't look like they are helping matters.

Videos from Tripoli show what appears to be Lebanese soldiers just running wild, shooting at random, running over trashcans in what looks more like joyrides than maintaining order (h/t Abu Ali Express):

Identity and Reality (Vic Rosenthal)

Weekly column by Vic Rosenthal

This morning I picked up a book from my philosophy student days, “Identity and Reality,” by Emile Meyerson. It’s a book about the metaphysical foundations of science, but the title inspired me.

Everyone has an identity in the sense of their answer to the question “what are you?” Almost everyone has a need to find, adopt, or construct an answer. Often it’s a list of things: a mother, a Jew, a football fan, a plumber, and so on. Recently “gender identity” has been added.

There is no national identity with a longer pedigree than that of the Jewish people. For millennia Jews have had a unique language and religion, and a tradition that connects them to the Land of Israel, which (according to that tradition) was given to them by Hashem. Religious Jews explicitly remind themselves of this three times a day.

This makes “Jewish” a very desirable identity. As Jimmy Durante said (about something else), “everybody wants to get into the act,” despite the anti-Jewish attitudes that Jews have to deal with. Jewish identity is so sought-after, that one of the popular themes of antisemites is to claim that they are the “real Jews” and we are Khazars or just fakers. If a Jew chooses to live in the Land of Israel, they have additional prejudices against them. Recently a European “anti-fascist” said that as an Israeli Jew, I was “stealing the very air I breathe.”

But still, the Jewish identity is attractive because – here is the connection to the book I picked up – it is solidly grounded in reality. Lots of people hate Jews and even want to kill them, but no identity is better documented. Indeed, one of the most important parts of the cognitive warfare that is being waged against the Jewish people by its enemies is the effort to break down that identity; in particular, to disconnect us from the Land of Israel. So, for example, Palestinian Arabs go out of their way to destroy archaeological evidence of ancient Jewish provenance in the land, as they have done at the Temple Mount and numerous other sites.

Mahmoud Abbas has always insisted that “Jewish” refers only to a religion, not to a people, because a people can have ties to a particular land, and if there were a Jewish people, this would be their land. This is why he objected so strongly to the condition that he recognize Israel as the state of the Jewish people, although he claims to recognize Israel’s existence. This is why the PLO has never agreed to the formulation “two states for two peoples,” although it claims to support a “two state solution.”

Tribal identities are important to Arabs, but attempts to forge a pan-Arab identity among Arabic speakers haven’t been particularly successful, because, for example, North Africans, Egyptians, and Syrians have little in common. A great deal of energy is put into the attempt to establish that there is a historical “Palestinian” identity, but the people who identify as “Palestinians” today have diverse origins, with many of them relatively recent (after 1830) migrants to the area. There is very little that is specifically Palestinian in their culture (as opposed to tribal, Arab, or Muslim), other than elements that developed in opposition to Israel. They didn’t even self-identify as “Palestinian” until the 1960s. That is not to say that there cannot be a “Palestinian people” – give them another 3000 years, and if they still remember the Nakba, they may become as well-established as the Jewish people.

The Palestinian argument is that we, the Jews, appeared from Europe in the 20^th century and “colonized” a long-established indigenous “Palestinian people,” ultimately taking their land by force, driving most of them out of their homes and not allowing them to return. The Jews, according to this story, are not even a people, just a bunch of Europeans whose made-up religious myth connects them to what is actually the Palestinians’ homeland (I am not sure how they account for the more than 50% of Israelis who previously lived in various Arab countries).

Like all “Europeans,” the story continues, the Jews are white racists who exploit black and brown indigenous peoples like the Palestinians. Justice therefore requires that the Jews should give up control of the land to its “rightful owners,” the millions of descendants of the Arab refugees of 1948.

The Palestinian story is wildly wrong on several points. First, there were several ancient Jewish commonwealths in the Land of Israel, and some Jews always were present during the millennia in which the land was under the control of various outside powers. Doubtless some of today’s Palestinians are also descended from ancient residents of the land, but the great bulk of Palestinian families arrived much later. So the claim that Arabs are “more indigenous” than Jews is false. Arab families with names like “al Musri” (Egyptian) or “al Haurani” (Syrian) and numerous others testify to their origins.

Second, when the Zionists arrived and began developing what would become the Jewish state, it was not in the possession of the Palestinian Arabs – there was never a sovereign Palestinian entity in the land – but was a colony of the Ottoman Empire. Most private land belonged to absentee owners. Shortly thereafter the British Mandate was established, and the Arabs, led by Amin al-Husseini, who later cast his lot with Hitler, violently tried to prevent the advent of Jewish sovereignty. When the British were forced out, the Jews defeated the Palestinian Arabs and the Arab nations that invaded (who were interested in grabbing territory and kicking the Jews out, not in setting up a Palestinian state). The Jews did not “colonize” Palestine – they decolonized it, by ejecting the British.

Third, by the time the British left and the Arab nations invaded, the Palestinian Arabs had been fighting with the Jews for several months (with the connivance of the British, who preferred that the land come under Arab control). Much of the Arab elite fled early in order to avoid the conflict (some went to summer homes in Lebanon). The poorer Arabs fled for various reasons, including fear induced by propaganda about Jewish atrocities – which was not difficult for them to believe, since their own leaders planned to do the same to the Jews if they got the upper hand. Some Arabs were expelled (Lod or Lydda) because their towns or villages fought on the side of the Arab armies. Some 500-700 thousand Arabs left for various reasons, but there was no overall plan to expel them. In some cases (Haifa) Jewish authorities asked non-belligerent Arabs to stay.

After the war, only a few were allowed to return. The new state simply could not take the risk of allowing hostile Arabs to return and reignite the war. This was a classic ethnic conflict over land, and the usual result of these is either that the weaker side becomes refugees, or the winner massacres the losers. The leaders of the Arab nations did not hide their intention to massacre the Jews if they won. The 800,000 Jews kicked out of Arab countries at about the same time suffered a similar fate to the Palestinian Arabs.

Fourth, and finally, the whole “racism” theme is nonsense. Only a minority of Israelis ever lived in Europe. They range in color from black Ethiopians to white Europeans with red hair and freckles. Most are various shades of brown, as are Palestinians, who also include the descendants of black slaves and – if you remember her – Ahed Tamimi, who earned the nickname “Shirley Temper” for kicking and hitting Israeli soldiers, with her pale skin and blonde hair. The conflict is best described as national and religious, not racial.

But unlike other similar conflicts, the losers managed to persuade the world of the justice of their cause, with the help of the Soviet KGB, the Arab oil weapon, the liberal application of terrorism, and the exploitation of the always-present antisemitism of the west. Which is why my European anti-fascist acquaintance thinks I’m an oxygen bandit.

06/30 Links Pt2: Black, Jewish and bullied into quitting – SCBWI and the April Powers story; Ilhan Omar Knows What She’s Doing; Omar Claims Jewish Colleagues ‘Haven’t Been Partners in Justice’

From Ian:

Not in Kansas Anymore: Academic Freedom in Palestinian Universities

Academic freedom is the liberty which academics have, within the confines of the law, to question and test generally-held beliefs, and to put forward different, sometimes unorthodox, maybe unpopular, alternative views without being at risk of losing their jobs or being silenced at their work. A complaint sometimes made against Israel is that it culpably suppresses academic freedom in Palestinian universities. This complaint is sometimes deployed by critics of Israel defending themselves against the charge that they focus too exclusively on Israel’s misdeeds at the expense of paying attention to other and worse political horrors elsewhere. Their reply is that academic freedom is a value especially in the care of academics everywhere, and so they have special reason to focus on Israel, since it’s illegitimately eroding academic freedom in vulnerable institutions, while purporting to be a liberal democracy which values academic freedom and free speech.

Cary Nelson’s new book: Not in Kansas Anymore: Academic Freedom in Palestinian Universities,[1] addresses this whole issue with exceptional thoroughness. He examines the state of academic freedom in Palestinian universities, and comments on the implications of this for the criticisms levelled by some Western academics, especially in the United States, against Israel’s handling of this matter. His central thesis is that academic freedom in Palestinian universities is indeed very badly eroded and in certain respects non-existent. It is true that Israeli measures are sometimes responsible for aspects of this erosion, where Israel has acted without sufficient justification and in ways that would have been better avoided; however Israeli interventions are greatly outweighed in their effect on academic freedom by measures taken by Palestinian students, academics, and wider political forces. These measures, often deployed by students though sometimes by faculty, involve intimidation and physical violence. They receive wide social support, have done so for many years, are very resistant to change, and are largely ignored by Western critics of Israel.

In Nelson’s view this singular focus on Israel’s impact on academic freedom in Palestinian universities is misplaced in three main ways: it fails to acknowledge the security context within which Israel has to operate; it fails to recognise Palestinian violence; and it fails to consider regimes, in the area and beyond, whose treatment of academic freedom is far, far worse. His book has useful and pertinent things to say about the first and third points, but it’s the second, central, one for which Nelson provides the fullest and most detailed examination, and the one on which I’ll focus here.

The book opens with an account of violent attacks on two senior academics in different Palestinian universities. One of these academics took some students to visit Auschwitz. In his absence, other students denounced him as a traitor, trashed his university secretary’s office, and threatened to kill him if he returned to the university. His academic union cancelled his membership; his university did not defend him (they eventually accepted his resignation); and he was the target of an assassination attempt. Academic freedom did not protect him. The second (unconnected) case involved a different academic, one who was opposed to reconciliation with Israel and was certainly not opposed to violence. Nonetheless when he criticised the Palestinian authorities, accusing them of corruption, he was arrested and imprisoned. Academic freedom did not protect him either.

David Collier: Black, Jewish and bullied into quitting – SCBWI and the April Powers story

SCBWI bow to the haters
Until now, we have a normal everyday occurrence on social media. An organisation or well-known public figure stands in solidarity with Jewish people – and for this, they are attacked. We cannot know exactly what went on behind closed doors, between SCBWI and the author of the post – their black, Jewish, Chief Equity & Inclusion Officer, April Powers – but what followed was disgraceful appeasement, abandonment of principles, and proof positive that SCBWI doesn’t really stand up to antisemitism at all.

Eventually, SCBWI actually issued a public apology for making the statement on antisemitism. And whatever did go on behind closed doors, left April Powers feeling so isolated that she felt the need to resign. In the end, the victim of the SCBWI statement on antisemitism – the person who paid the price and was bullied out of her job – was the black Jewish woman.

The SCBWI apology was written by their Executive Director, Lin Oliver. The statement says that they have accepted the resignation of April Powers and that they apologise for absolutely everything. SCBWI bowed before the haters, stripped down and publicly flagellated themselves.

They even specifically apologise to the very person who had been harassing them with the ‘all lives matter’ argument – Razan Abdin-Adnani:

SCBWI apology
It is important to understand who SCBWI apologised to. Razan Abdin-Adnani is not some innocent, peace-loving and misunderstood victim, but rather a hard-core, and rather extreme activist. The tweet below not only spreads lies about co-existence (Jews were never more than vulnerable second-class citizens under Ottoman rule) – but also suggests that millions of Israelis should be forcibly removed and sent to Poland or Russia.

Make no mistake about how racist this is. If this were a post about black people or Muslims in the US, needing to be forcibly sent away to wherever people believed their ancestors came from – the author would rightfully be called a neo-Nazi. There is no difference here. This person has no tolerance, no understanding of human rights and no knowledge of actual history. It is clear that her issue with the SCBWI post was not that it didn’t mention Muslims, but that it was written at all. Razan Abdin Adnani picked a cheap fight with SCBWI and boy, did she win easily.

Prominent children’s literature organization apologizes to antisemite for condemning antisemitism

On June 22, Abdin-Adnani wrote a 31 post Twitter thread/manifesto retconning the events that had transpired and included her thoughts about being dismayed when SCBWI released a powerful statement in support of the Jewish community. Abdin-Adnani claimed "I left an affirmative and polite comment on SCBWI’s Twitter," but at no point does she admit that this comment was followed by dozens more, including antisemitic statements, on the original SCBWI statements condemning anti-Semitism.

In response, SCBWI asked their Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer, who is black and Jewish, to resign, then posted the following statement apologizing to Abdin-Adnani by name and joined the writer in "all lives mattering" the situation.

"I would like to apologize to everyone in the Palestinian community who felt unrepresented, silenced, or marginalized. SCBWI acknowledges the pain our actions have caused to our Muslim and Palestinian members and hope that we can heal from this moment."

SCBWI executive director Lin Oliver also apologized to a the antisemitic writer and stated that Abdin-Adnani had been unblocked from the group’s feed.

Abdin-Adnani did not accept the apology and has called for a boycott of SCBWI. The activist also demanded an investigation into how supportive SCBWI is of the Jewish state.

Had SCBWI researched Abdin-Adnani before apologizing to her, they would have discovered tweets from as recently as June 2 from the activist that said, "Zionists need to go back to Europe and Brooklyn," and "I hear Germany and Poland are quite nice these days."

Razan Abdin-Adnani regularly trolls denunciations of antisemitism and tells Jews to go back to Poland.

She trolled a post condemning hate crimes on Jews, got abusive, & blocked by a Black Jew - who was then forced out of her job.

Stop protecting antisemites instead of Jews. https://t.co/cZtjkUmJes pic.twitter.com/AlAY0d5JH2
— Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) June 29, 2021