From Ian: IDF Blog: Setting the Facts Straight on the Security Fence
The security fence serves one purpose and one purpose only: to prevent terrorists from carrying out deadly attacks on Israeli civilians. Since the construction of the fence began, there has been a significant decrease in the number of attacks originating in Judea and Samaria. During the Second Intifada (2000-2005), terrorists from Judea and Samaria executed horrific attacks including shootings, suicide attacks, and bombings. The violence proved to be most fatal between 2001 and 2004, when 984 Israelis were murdered. As a direct response to the attacks, the IDF began construction of the security fence. The security fence proved to be a highly effective measure for reducing terror attacks. The graphs below demonstrate how terror has decreased since its construction. 1. The security fence has reduced suicide attacks to zero. 2. Just 5% of the security fence is made of concrete. The concrete areas, which are built near roads to prevent shooting attacks, have proven very effective.
Matti Friedman on the Breaking the Silence report
3. Breaking the Silence is described as an organization of Israeli veterans trying to expose Israelis to the nature of service in the occupied territories, in order to have a political impact on Israeli society. That's what it was a long time ago, and it once had an important role to play. But now it's something else. Today, like B’Tselem and others, it's a group funded in large part by European money which serves mainly to provide international reporters with the lurid examples of Israeli malfeasance that they crave. They are not speaking to Israelis, but are rather exploiting Israelis' uniquely talkative and transparent nature in order to defame them. There is actually a fairly straightforward solution to this problem. Any group genuinely fighting for the character of Israeli society should do so in Hebrew, which is the language that Israelis speak. If you're expending a great deal of energy and money translating your materials into English and speaking to foreign reporters, as we’re seeing Breaking the Silence do right now, I think it's fair to ask what, exactly, you're up to. How is speaking to the international press supposed to swing Israelis in your direction? Of course it has the opposite effect. As long as this state of affairs continues, Israelis will be correct in identifying this group and its sister organizations as people paid by foreigners to say things that a lot of foreigners want to hear Israelis say. And Israelis will continue to live without the strong left that we need – one that comes from Israel, is part of Israel, and is concerned with bettering our society, not with posturing for an audience abroad whose hostile obsession with us has nothing to do with us at all.
NGO Monitor: Negative Testimony from ‘Breaking the Silence’ Meets Quota for Grant Makers
IDF veterans who provided negative testimony for the leftist NGO “Breaking the Silence” may not realize they are also participating in an effort by the group to fulfill a funding quota for bad stuff against Israel. According to a report by the NGO Monitor, a number of grant-making agencies who provide funding to leftist organizations in Israel have made their patronage contingent upon the groups’ abilities to obtain a minimum number of negative “testimonies.” “This contradicts Breaking the Silence” declarations and thus turns it into an organization that represents its foreign donors’ interest, severely damaging the NGO’s reliability and its ability to analyze complicated combat situations,” said the report. One example is the foreign leftist Oxfam group, which signed an agreement with Breaking the Silence, according to the NGO Monitor watchdog organization. According to that agreement, the Monitor reported, BTS was to conduct interviews with “as many” soldiers as possible who would testify regarding [Israeli] “immoral actions] that violate human rights.
IDF Tattle-Tales Funded by Arab Foundation, Says Report
Grassroots Zionist students' group Im Tirtzu has responded to a report blaming the IDF of misdeeds in Gaza by pointing to the fact that it was paid for by a Palestinian-Arab fund. The report by Breaking the Silence is based on alleged testimony from 60 officers and soldiers who served in Operation Protective Edge. The “evidence” includes allegations of indiscriminate fire on civilian targets by soldiers who took part in the fighting against terrorist organizations Hamas, Islamic Jihad and others in the summer of 2014. Now, Im Tirtzu reveals that an Arab-Palestinian Foundation based in Ramallah called the Arab Human Rights Fund (AHRF) ordered and financed Breaking the Silence's report. The AHRF provided Breaking the Silence with US$300,000 to write the report, said Im Tirtzu. “Last August, the fund approved emergency funding at the request of partner organizations who approached the fund regarding this issue,” it added. The AHRF’s goals include a focus on “documenting human rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian law during the ongoing military assault of the Gaza Strip by Israel,” said Im Tirtzu. “The foundation emphasized the need to coordinate documentation efforts to support current and future documentation and investigation efforts by organizations to assist national and international mechanisms.” Im Tirtzu's report, which can be downloaded from the group's website, also shows that the AHRF is in direct contact with terrorist organizations, and individuals who have been involved in past and present terrorist activity against Israel, such as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and Global Jihad.
Breaking the Silence: A Middleman For Anonymous Sources
Too often, when it comes to reporting on Israel and the Palestinians, unverified “eyewitnesses” or unnamed sources are a feature of media stories, especially those that impact negatively on Israel. And so it is with a story concerning the Breaking the Silence organization, which has published a collection of soldiers’ testimonies about last year’s Gaza war. It is covered widely by international media outlets, including CNN, BBC, NPR, The Guardian, Daily Telegraph, Sydney Morning Herald, The Independent (links one and two), Financial Times (click via Google News), and the London Review of Books (by radical left-wing Israeli Professor Neve Gordon). But what about the warped journalistic ethics behind the reporting of this story? Clearly the Breaking the Silence story is based entirely on anonymous testimonies. In essence, the media are using Breaking the Silence as a middleman to avoid due diligence on the sources. Breaking the Silence’s report doesn’t meet the accepted standards that journalists themselves apply to their own reports
A troubling picture of UN complicity in Palestinian war crimes
Nevertheless, the BOI report, even if unintentionally, clearly refutes the NGO narrative about the Gaza War. The NGOs falsely accuse Israel of deliberately targeting civilians and deny the extent to which Palestinians operated from within civilian areas to launch thousands of deliberate rocket attacks on Israeli civilians, thereby increasing the risk to the population of Gaza. The UN routinely stresses that its premises are inviolable. Yet, as is made clear in the BOI report, UN facilities were routinely exploited by Hamas and other Palestinian terror groups to store weapons and to carry out attacks. It also indicates that most if not all the damage is directly attributable to the actions of Hamas (and the Palestinian Authority as the "unity government"). There is no doubt that UN officials and employees turned a blind eye to these blatant violations as they were taking place, and possibly were involved in facilitating such attacks. It is apparent that several UN officials were more interested in disseminating propaganda during the war than acknowledging the reality of what was taking place on the ground. If the UN wishes to secure its installations and avoid future death and injury, the onus is on the institution to enforce the law it preaches to others and end its highly damaging role in enabling Palestinian war crimes.
Al-Monitor: UNRWA takes no responsibility for rocket launchers in shelters
The UN summary report blames Israel for hitting seven facilities. It holds it accountable for the death and injury of civilians who had hoped to find shelter in UN facilities that were considered safe. While Ban did express dismay that the facilities that were designed to serve as humanitarian shelters were exploited by militant groups, no conclusions were in fact drawn, no one has taken responsibility, nor has a comprehensive organizational change been implemented in the agency and its deficient management, despite the proven connection between UNRWA employees and the “militant groups.” And there is another point that should be highlighted: Israel, as noted, cooperated with the Board of Inquiry that looked into the strikes at UNRWA facilities. However, it cooperates much less with the larger Board of Inquiry nominated by the UN Human Rights Council that reviews the events of Operation Protective Edge. Incidentally, Israel adopted a rather similar approach with regard to the committee that was appointed in the aftermath of Operation Cast Lead (2008-09), as a result of which it had to cope with the allegations in the Goldstone Report following its publication. The fact that Ban appended a letter to the report is unquestionably the result of the Israeli cooperation with the board's investigators and the submission of findings that proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that armed Hamas militants treated UNRWA facilities and storerooms as their own. It's a shame that Israel has decided not to cooperate with the “larger board” and will have to deal with the allegations once the report is published.
Report: Iranian General Warns Negotiators Not to Allow Inspections at Military Sites
Major General Hassan Firouzabadi has reportedly written an open letter warning Iranian negotiators not to give Western nations access to Iran’s military sites. The Tehran Times reports that Gen. Firouzabadi published the letter Sunday to remind negotiators of the guidelines already set by Ayatollah Khamenei. Khamenei’s stated resistance to inspections at military sites has been repeated by several other Iranian leaders over the past month. Gen. Firouzabadi was particularly concerned about language that appeared in the U.S. fact sheet, which stated that Iran had agreed to inspections “anywhere in the country.” He writes that such wide open snap inspections would expose Iran’s military to intelligence and security threats.
Snap Back Iran Sanctions? Don’t Bet on It.
Last week as part of the administration’s latest feeble attempt at a Jewish charm offensive, Vice President Biden gave a speech to the Washington Institute for Near East Policy where he told the audience not to worry about the nuclear deal President Obama had struck with Iran. Biden’s bombastic reassurances lacked credibility. But just as important was a private talk given by Treasury Secretary Jack Lew in which he sought to allay fears about the way the president planned on lifting economic sanctions on Iran once the deal is finalized. Lew promised that if Iran was found to be cheating on its nuclear promises, those sanctions could easily be snapped back into place. But as Josh Rogin reports at BloombergView today, it appears Lew’s promises are not much more reliable than those made by Tehran. As it turns out the process by which sanctions could be reimposed will be anything but a snap. Nor is the administration prepared to treat the vast industries controlled by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as tied to that group’s record of terrorism. As Rogin reports, Lew left out a lot of details when he claimed last week that sanctions could be snapped back. The first problem is that despite the administration’s claims, the Iranians have vowed not to sign anything that would not lift all sanctions immediately and permanently. President Obama’s track record on negotiations with Iran has been a steady series of concessions while Tehran stands its ground. That makes it difficult to imagine that Washington’s version of what the final draft will look like will be closer to reality than that of Tehran. But even if we assume that the final deal will conform to Lew’s promises about sanctions, there are clear problems with the way any such deal will be implemented.
Lawmakers look to salvage Iran bill amid showdown threat
Senate Republicans labored Monday to salvage bipartisan legislation granting lawmakers the right to review or even reject any agreement the Obama administration makes to ease sanctions on Iran in exchange for concessions on nuclear research and development. Officials said Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell hoped to avoid staging a showdown vote to limit debate on the measure, a move that could split his own party’s rank and file. Democrats urged him to go ahead anyway, as a way to avoid votes on proposed changes they opposed. “It’s the only path forward to pass this meritorious legislation,” said the party’s leader, Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada. The legislation was approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on a unanimous vote last month, and supporters easily turned back a pair of proposed changes in early skirmishes on the Senate floor.
France, Saudi Arabia unite in vision for region, say Iran deal must be verifiable
France and Saudi Arabia believe that any future nuclear accord between Iran and six major powers must be robust, verifiable and no threat to Tehran's neighbors, the two countries said ahead of a summit in Riyadh on Tuesday. Saudi Arabia invited French President Francois Hollande, whose country is deemed to have the toughest stance among the six world powers negotiating with Iran, to Riyadh to discuss regional issues with Gulf Arab leaders who fear a rapprochement with Tehran could further inflame the region. "France and Saudi Arabia confirmed the necessity to reach a robust, lasting, verifiable, undisputed and binding deal with Iran," Hollande and the new Saudi King Salman said in a statement after meeting on Monday. "This agreement must not destabilize the security and stability of the region nor threaten the security and stability of Iran's neighbors," the statement said.
In assuring Israel on Iran, Kerry references upgraded bunker-buster
Secretary of State John Kerry raised the specter of using a 30,000-pound (13,600-kg) bunker-buster bomb against Iran’s nuclear program in an interview aired this week, during an attempt to reassure Israelis that America had its back against Tehran, even if it means preemptive military action. People in Israel should have some confidence in an “administration that designed and deployed the weapon that has the ability to deal with Iran’s nuclear program,” Kerry told Channel 10, adding that his is “an administration, a government, a country that will stand by Israel way into the future.” The weapon he was referring to, the Massive Ordnance Penetrator, or MOP, is a 30,000-pound bomb that was made operational in 2011 and recently redesigned in terms of guidance and penetration. The massive weapon has not been offered to Israel for purchase. The US Department of Defense invested $330 million to develop 20 of the bombs and requested an additional $82 million to enhance their efficacy, the Wall Street Journal reported in 2012. In April the Journal reported that the upgraded bomb was tested in mid-January, when it was dropped from a B-2 bomber that took off from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri.
State Department Questions Iranian Report of US Oil Delegation Visiting Iran
The US State Department questioned on Monday a report from Iranian state-run news agencies claiming that a “delegation of oil dealers and investors from the US” were scheduled to arrive in Iran this week to meet with local counterparts. The report, initiated with Mehr, was also carried by Press TV‘s and even made its way into Al-Jazeera and Reuters. Questioned on the matter at the State Department’s daily press briefing, acting spokesperson Jeff Rathke said he wouldn’t “speculate about a visit” which “has not even been confirmed and the nature of which is completely obscure right now.” “It’s hard to verify whether these reports are accurate at all,” he said, “but also we’ve been quite clear that we don’t consider Iran to be open for business yet, and that if there is any sanctionable activity happening, then we will take action.” According to Mehr, the Deputy Petroleum Minister of Iran, Abbas Sheri-Moghaddam, “confirmed the news and predicted more cooperation with US big companies and refineries on Iran’s oil and gas projects after the removal of sanctions.”
JCPA: Toward a Regional Escalation?
In the aftermath of the incident on April 28 in which five Iranian warships intercepted the Marshall Islands-flagged container ship Maersk Tigris and forced it to sail to the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, American destroyers have moved into position to protect American-flagged container ships crossing through the Strait of Hormuz. Although Iran claims that the April 28 incident stemmed from a commercial conflict over a financial debt, the Pentagon has issued a statement calling the incident a “provocation.” It appears that Iran took this step in response to USS Sterett destroyer searching a Panamanian-flagged ship Saisaban on April 1 in waters near Yemen, suspecting it was carrying Iranian weapons for the rebels in Yemen. To this one should add an aerial incident that occurred in Yemen on April 28, 2014 after an Iranian “relief” plane entered Yemeni airspace and tried to land at Sana’a’s airport, on the claim that it was Yemeni rather than Saudi airspace. To prevent the plane from landing, Saudi air force pilots bombed the runway at the Sana’a airport. Where Is All this Leading? Iran will not allow itself to lose the strategic strongholds it has gained in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen, nor its de facto control over four Arab capitals (Baghdad, Damascus, Sana’a, and Beirut). It appears, then, that on those fronts where its allies are losing strength, Iran will have to ramp up its direct military involvement so as to safeguard its gains.
US Navy Begins Escorting UK Ships in Strait of Hormuz
The United States has added vessels from Britain to the list of ships to be given protection in the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. Navy warships have already begun to provide an escort to UK-flagged vessels as they sail through the Strait, said Army Col. Steven Warren, a Pentagon spokesperson. Warren told reporters at a briefing on Monday the Navy has escorted one British ship through the strait so far. The decision followed a discussion between London and Washington over the security status in the Persian Gulf. U.S. vessels have been under escort protection of the Navy since April 28, 2015, when Iran seized the M/V Maersk Tigris. The Maersk, a Danish ship, was flagged under the Marshall Islands at the time it was captured.
Zarif stop lying, the Islamic Iranian Regime did not save Jews!
This past March, Iran’s foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif went on NBC news and said that “Iran saved the Jews three times in its history” in his typical efforts to do public relations damage control for the Iranian regime. During his interview with NBC journalist Anne Curry, Zarif shamefully tried to spin history in favor of the radical and brutal Islamic regime in Iran by trying to take credit for the Jews being saved during the story of Purim thousands of years, for the ancient Persian king Cyrus who freed the Jews from Babylonian captivity and for Abdol Hussein Sardari, an Iranian diplomat based in Nazi-occupied France who saved Jews during World War II. From the perspective of Iranian American journalists like myself who are all too familiar with the current Iranian regime, I thought Zarif’s comments were nothing short of hilarious! The Iranian regime since 1979 has done everything in their power to distance themselves from the ancient Zoroastrian Persian Empire and also from the activities of the Pahlavi kings during the 20th century. So it is downright funny to see Zarif rushing to take credit for the past good deeds of two dynasties from Iran’s past that the regime totally abhors! Yet what is truly pathetic about Zarif’s recent comments is that he totally ignores the heinous record of executions, assassinations, imprisonment and persecution of Jews carried out since 1979 by the same radical Islamic regime in Iran which he proudly services under. What Curry and most Western journalists typically fail to ask and press Zarif on are the specific questions of human rights violations and irrefutable facts of the current Iranian regime’s horrible history when it comes to the Jews of Iran during the last 36 years.
Uzi Dayan to ‘Post’: Hamas, Hezbollah likely have ‘unfinished business’ with us
Terrorist organizations Hamas and Hezbollah likely have “unfinished business” with Israel, former national security adviser and ex-deputy chief of staff Maj.-Gen. (res.) Uzi Dayan told The Jerusalem Post on Monday. Dayan, who will be addressing the Jerusalem Post Annual Conference in New York on June 7, warned that both Hamas and Hezbollah can be expected to attack Israel again, as “they are terror organizations – terrorism is what they do for a living.” Although Israeli deterrence can work to some degree, it will probably, at some point, run out, he said, as it did last summer with Hamas. Israel should not be going to war every year or two, but, rather, if attacked again, it should seek to eliminate terrorist leaderships, and push hostile organizations out of their territorial bases, said Dayan. “If no one attacks us from Lebanon, Gaza or Syria, then there will be no war,” he stressed. “But if war is forced on us again, we have to defeat the terror organizations.” Both Hezbollah and Hamas would profit if Iran joins the nuclear club, Dayan, who is currently chairman of the National Lottery of Israel, said. They would be able to operate under a nuclear umbrella provided by Tehran, if Iran broke through to the weaponization stage.
Court Allows Glick on Temple Mount – without Cell Phone
The Jerusalem Court ruled Tuesday morning that Rabbi Yehuda Glick can ascend the Temple Mount once a month on condition that he does not take a mobile cell phone with him. Judge Miraim Kasklasi rejected demands from the police that Glick be barred from the Temple Mount because he is a “dangerous man.” Glick, who has recovered from critical bullet wounds from an assassination attempt last year, said last week he would be willing to visit the site in a wheelchair and with his hands tied. His lawyer told the court that if he is so dangerous, the police should not even let him out of his house. The judge said Tuesday that Glick cannot take his cell phone with him in order not “to aggravate Muslims.”
Defense Ministry carries out test of new rocket propulsion system
The Defense Ministry carried out a test of a new rocket propulsion system from a base in central Israel on Tuesday morning, but released few details. "The test was planned by the defense establishment long in advance, and was carried out as planned," it said, delcining to elaborate. In February, officials from the ministry said they identified and repaired a weakness in the Arrow 2 missile defense system that was discovered during a test last September. The need for the repair became apparent after a test against “a future threat that does not currently exist in the arsenal of Israel’s enemies” resulted in a miss, said officials from HOMA, part of the Defense Ministry’s Administration for the Development of Weapons and Technological Infrastructure. “Intercepting such a threat requires a significant broadening of the limits of the system,” the officials said. “The interceptor passed very close to the target but did not directly strike it. Hence, we could not assess the overall result.”
UN Peacekeepers Wounded by Syrian Shelling — Will UN Probe This One?
Thus far, we have yet to hear any suggestion that the United Nations might investigate the culpability of Syria – or Iran — in the cross-border mortar and missile fire that regularly “spills over” these days into Israeli territory. Now barely three months later, two UN peacekeepers – one of them a woman – have been wounded, and yet not a peep is being heard from the international community. Information about their nationality has yet to be released, let alone whether the UN intends to probe the incident. Where is all the outrage, all the screaming and righteous opining heard by journalists from world leaders when a UNIFIL soldier was hit by gunfire in a “spillover” incident in Lebanon? Silence… could it have something to do with the delicate U.S.-led P5+1 talks over Iran’s nuclear technology program?
IDF Uncovers Weapons Factory in Hebron
Police (Shin Bet) and IDF have uncovered a weapons manufacturing laboratory in Hebron, where Hamas has a large presence. The factory made guns and ammunition, and Israeli forces confiscated a large number of weapons, including Gustav handguns, M-16 rifles, bullets and tools for repairing guns. Hebron has replaced Jenin in Samaria as one of the centers of terror in Judea and Samaria. The Hamas terrorists who kidnapped and murdered three yeshiva youth last summer are from the Hebron area.
Israeli dentist indicted for suspected money transfers to Hamas
A dentist from the northern Arab Israeli town of Kafr Kanna was indicted Tuesday at the Nazareth District Court on suspicion he had aided Palestinian terrorist group Hamas by transferring large sums of money to members of the organization in the West Bank. Malik Jamil Mubarak Khatib, 31, was apprehended last month in a joint operation by the Shin Bet security service and police while on his way to the Palestinian West Bank city of Ramallah, allegedly for the purpose of transferring funds to Hamas officials, the Shin Bet said in a statement released Tuesday. The security agency said it had specifically warned Khatib not to engage in such activity several weeks prior to his arrest. A sum of NIS 170,000 (about $43,700) in cash was found in Khatib’s possessions at the time of the arrest, the Shin Bit stated, adding that the dentist had been taken to a security facility for questioning.
Baltimore ‘riot mom’ needed in Jerusalem
One of the most enduring images from the Baltimore riots was that of the irate mother of a rioter vigorously admonishing and slapping her law-breaking teenage son. Millions of frustrated Americans, watching the televised images of mobs of young people burning and looting at will, no doubt wondered, “Where are their parents?” Toya Graham, dubbed “the Baltimore Riot Mom” by the media, was one parent who refused to stand idly by any longer. Some Israelis are probably wishing there were a few “riot moms” in the Arab neighborhoods of Jerusalem. The New York Times on May 1 published a lengthy, sympathetic report about two Arab boys, ages 12 and 7, who were arrested for throwing rocks at a bus in Jerusalem. The newspaper’s correspondent, Diaa Hadid, reported that human rights groups claim that by arresting young rock-throwers, Israel is unfairly “traumatizing the children.” The article did note that a 4-year-old Israeli girl, Adele Biton, recently died from injuries caused by Arab rock-throwers. Although the New York Times did not mention it, at least 14 Israelis have been killed in rock-throwing attacks. Three of them were Israeli Arabs who were attacked because they were mistaken for Israeli Jews.
PA sports present terrorist murderers as role models
At Fatah's "Prisoners of Freedom Marathon and Rally," marking the anniversary of arch-terrorist Abu Jihad's "Martyrdom-death," Fatah official and Secretary of the organization's Salfit branch Abd Al-Sattar Awwad said that the terrorist remains a role model for Palestinian youth: "We must continue on the path of struggle out of commitment to the heroic prisoners and loyalty to the blood of the Martyrs, who turned the suffering of our people and nation into the fuel of the revolution that ignited within our souls the [willingness to] give and sacrifice. Abu Jihad will continue to serve as a school for the revolution from which the Palestinian youth will learn. Walk on this path, armed with faith in the revolution, the struggle, and the justness of the Palestinian cause." [Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, April 22, 2015] Abu Jihad was a founder of Fatah and deputy to Yasser Arafat. He headed the PLO terror organization's military wing and planned many deadly Fatah terror attacks. These attacks, which killed a total of 125 Israelis, included the most lethal in Israeli history - the hijacking of a bus and killing of 37 civilians, 12 of them children. At the tournament, Fatah official Abd Al-Hamid Al-Dik conveyed greetings from PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas.
Khaled Abu Toameh: Hamas, Saudi rapprochement worries Fatah
Fatah officials in the West Bank have expressed concern over reports about the rapprochement between Hamas and Saudi Arabia. Reports in a number of Arab media outlets claimed recently that Hamas and Saudi Arabia were working to restore their relations. Tensions between the two sides increased following Saudi Arabia’s support for Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi in his confrontation with the Muslim Brotherhood, of which Hamas is an offshoot. Last week, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh appealed to Saudi Arabia to replace Egypt as the main mediator between the Islamist movement and Fatah. Other Hamas officials were quoted as saying that Saudi Arabia’s new monarch has indicated his desire to improve the kingdom’s ties with their movement. Amin Makbul, a senior Fatah official in the West Bank, accused Hamas of seeking to “neutralize” the Egyptians by inviting Saudi intervention in internal Palestinian affairs.
Khaled Abu Toameh: Salafi jihadi group: 'Gangs of Hamas regime destroyed Gaza mosque'
A Salafi jihadist group on Monday accused Hamas of demolishing a mosque in the Gaza Strip. The group, which is affiliated with the Islamic State terrorist organization, said that the demolition of the mosque in Deir el-Balah took place on Sunday night. The mosque had been frequented by supporters of the Salafi jihadi group, which is called Ansar al-Dawleh al-Islamiyeh (Supporters of the Islamic State). “The gangs of the Hamas regime destroyed the Mutahabin Mosque in a way similar to what the Jewish and American occupation do,” the group said in a statement. It said that three bulldozers took part in the demolition of the small mosque. “In the face of this new Hamas encroachment, we renew our allegiance to (Islamic State) Caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, may Allah protect him,” the group said.
Watch Hamas Film Banned by Gaza U. because of Fears of Losing Funding [video]
Arab media reported Tuesday that the university banned students Sunday night from screening the film that shows terrorists in action and clashes with Israeli soldiers. An expose in 2008 revealed that the U.S. government authorized almost $1 million in foreign aid to the Islamic University of Gaza despite multiple vetting of the school for ties to terrorism. The prime minister of Hamas at the time sat on the Islamic University’s board of trustees. Previous donors to the university have included the Union of Good, a worldwide collection of charities collecting money for Hamas and headed by global Muslim Brotherhood leader Youssef Qaradawi. Other world donors have been the World Bank, Arab Student Aid International, United Palestinian Appeal, Islamic Relief, British Council, Islamic Development Bank and Human Appeal International.
After Barely Surviving Latest Assassination, Hamas Leader Now Just an Eyeball (satire)
After reports came out that the head of Hamas’ military wing, Mohammed Deif, was still alive and active after a fifth assassination attempt, it was confirmed, that no longer able to take physical form, Deif is now just a large fiery eye ball that sits atop a residential building in Gaza. The Hamas military wing commander was previously confined to a wheelchair and in some reports even missing limbs after previous unsuccessful attempts. After being horribly mangled and twisted beyond recognition in the latest Israeli assassination attempt during last summer’s Gaza war, turning into a quasi-spirit being was the only option left if he wanted to remain alive and in power. According to reports, the Hamas leader just spends his days obsessively scanning the Gaza strip for Israeli infiltrators. Though he has been hailed as a military mastermind, the commanders and strategists in his inner cabinet simply have no idea what he means about “defeating Minas Tirith” or “killing Aragorn.”
ISIS Sends Congratulatory Note to Turkish Leader on Anniversary of Armenian Genocide (satire)
The President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan received an unexpected show of support from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria on the centennial of the massacres that killed an estimated 1.5 million Armenians. “Your modesty about Turkey’s involvement is endearing. Your people have showed generations of young, insecure Jihadists everywhere that, with just a bit of stick-to-itiveness, it is in fact possible to obliterate crusader armies. The devil worshippers have been looking over their shoulders ever since the Ottoman Empire went apeshit in 1915. Thank you,” ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi wrote to Erdogan. In response, the Turkish leader said during a television interview, “The Western world supports Armenian lies and sides with hatred. We continue to maintain that almost two-million Armenians perished as a result of a curiously undocumented 8.5 magnitude earthquake during World War I. Still, we are proud of our growing relationship with ISIS and look forward to meeting all the organization’s future ransom demands.”
Iran bans 'devil worshipping' spiky haircuts
Hairstyles of a spiky and unorthodox nature have reportedly been banned in Iran because they imply devil-worship, while tattoos and other male bodily adornments also being outlawed. Jagged haircuts have become fashionable among all strata of Iran's youthful population in recent years, but have divided opinion and been deemed by the authorities as western and un-Islamic. "Devil worshipping hairstyles are now forbidden," said Mostafa Govahi, the head of Iran's Barbers Union, cited by the ISNA news agency. "Any shop that cuts hair in the devil worshipping style will be harshly dealt with and their licence revoked," he said, noting that if a business cut hair in such a style this will "violate the Islamic system's regulations". As well as tattoos being banned, solarium treatments and the plucking of eyebrows – another rising trend among young Iranian males – will not be tolerated, the report said.
The official Palestianian news agency is reporting that Israeli settlers have chopped down and seized about 800 Palestinian-owned olive trees near the town of Shuyukh, east of Hebron.
The report, by WAFA, the Palestine News & Information Agency, cited "a local source," whom it did not identify. Israel has yet to comment on the report.
The source, described by WAFA as "a local activist," told the agency that residents of the Israeli settlements of Bani Kadim and Asfar broke into an olive orchard near the town and chopped down the trees, which belonged to people who lived in the area.
Really? CNN has sunk so low as to parrot Wafa's lies without doing a modicum of fact checking?
OK, how can we tell that this is garbage? By looking at the wording in Wafa. It says "Israeli settlers Sunday chopped down and seized about 800 olive trees belonging to Palestinians near the town of Shuyukh, east of Hebron, according to a local source."
What does "chopped down and seized" mean? 400 chopped down and 400 seized? Or did they chop down 800 olive trees and then put them onto a convoy of trucks to cart them away?
It takes a long time to chop down a mature olive tree. New saplings, which are often planted by Palestinians in order to steal public land, are relatively easy to uproot, but this says "chopped down and seized."
No photos. No videos. No named sources. No corroboration. WAFA reports a story that matches none of the normal standards of journalism- and CNN parrots it under the guise of only reporting what anti-Israel Arab media is saying.
But it doesn't stop there.
Also Sunday, more than 175 right-wing Jewish extremists entered the Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem, escorted by Israel police and security personnel, according to sources inside the mosque. The sources cannot be named for security reasons.
175 is a much larger crowd than the usual 30 or so, and one would think that other media would have photos or video of such an event.
But there is no such video on the Waqf website, or at Hona Al Quds, or QPress YouTube page, which jealously show any video they can find of Jews walking peacefully on their holiest site, usually to aggressive screams by the Muslims.
The best video I could find from Sunday was a couple of dozen Jews who may or may not have exited from the Temple Mount, singing.
But there is one video that was taken from the Temple Mount today. It shows hundreds of Arabs screaming anti-Israel slogans!
Wow, I found more evidence for Arab hate against Jews in two minutes of searching than CNNs' scores of reporters found of Jewish hate for Arabs.
Tunisia said Sunday security measures have already been taken to protect Jewish pilgrims at a religious festival next week on the island of Djerba, after Israel warned of "concrete threats".
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday that Israel had learned of "concrete threats" of terror attacks against Jewish or Israeli targets in the North African country, prompting a quick denial from Tunis.
Interior Minister Najem Gharsalli told journalists in the holiday resort of Djerba, which hosts an annual pilgrimage to the Ghriba, Africa's oldest synagogue, that security forces and the army were ready.
"They are here and the security plan is in place" for the May 6-7 pilgrimage, he said.
"Tunisia is a safe country and Djerba too is a safe city. Visitors from the world over are welcome," Gharsalli said.
"What I am saying now is a response to many who cast doubt over Tunisia's security and its capacity to secure celebrations," he added.
A statement from Netanyahu's office late on Saturday said: "Information indicates that there are plans for terrorist attacks against Israelis or Jews in Tunisia" connected to the pilgrimage.
Thousands of pilgrims visit the tombs of famous rabbis for the Lag BaOmer Jewish Festival, including on Djerba island, where one of the last Jewish communities in the Arab world still lives.
Beginning 33 days after the start of the Jewish Passover festival, the Ghriba pilgrimage used to attract thousands of pilgrims from France and Israel and other tourists.
But their number fell dramatically after an April 2002 bombing blamed on Al-Qaeda that killed 21 people.
According to legend, the Ghriba synagogue was founded in 586 BC by Jews fleeing the destruction of the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem.
Tunisian Jews now number around 1,500, compared with an estimated 100,000 when Tunisia gained independence in 1956.
The Israeli Counter-Terrorism Bureau said it was advising people against visiting Tunisia in view of the "threats".
But Gharsalli insisted that Tunisia can protect visitors "better than any other country".
The authorities have been trying to reassure foreign visitors they will be safe since 21 tourists were killed in a jihadist attack on the Bardo National Museum in Tunis in March.
Last year, after a major tourism campaign, Tunisia welcomed some 2500 Jews for the pilgrimage - up from only 350 the year before. Tunisia even allowed Israelis to enter the country directly, using their own passports, an unprecedented move.
The tourism industry is a major source of income for the country.
In 2013, Jewish jewelers in Djerba went on strike after a series of antisemitic attacks.
On Friday, Tunisian authorities announced that they had arrested "large numbers" of people in the southwest of the country, but denied that they were terror suspects.
Palestine Today, an Islamic Jihad media outlet, reports that the families of dozens of "martyrs" tried to break into branches of the Bank of Palestine in Gaza today, saying that their payments from charities abroad have been stopped for several months.
Bank employees and police tried to calm them down.
Bank staff said that the bank has nothing to do with the issue, saying that the issue comes from the countries of origin of the payments, not the bank.
Some of the families who are complaining about not receiving funds to rebuild houses from Gaza, even though well over 80,000 homeowners have received cash and/or construction materials.
At the very end, the article mentions that some charities have resorted to opening up accounts directly at the Gaza banks rather than transferring the funds from foreign banks, because many of their accounts were shut down.
This indicates that these aren't real charities. The organizations paying these funds are specifically paying a twisted form of life insurance for the families of terrorists.
The article implies that there has been some effort to close down "charities" in the EU, USA and perhaps even Arab countries that pay the families of terrorists as well as more direct funding of terror groups, and that these efforts have been having an effect.
While Arab countries have been slow to pay their pledges for rebuilding Gaza - the only bottleneck in its reconstruction, not Israeli restrictions - it seems that they or other countries have also been making a serious dent in funding from pro-terror "charities."
Usually a story featuring wailing women is not cause for celebration, but reading between the lines of this story make it look like there is some actual good news behind their cries.
However, the PA still pays the families of their terrorists 100% of their stipends, even when they had been paying only 60% to their actual workers.
From Ian: Israeli Soldiers Angered by ‘Breaking the Silence’ Claims Against IDF
A group of former IDF soldiers, incensed by an Israeli NGO’s claims that they abused Palestinians during last summer’s fighting in Gaza, have taken to social media to fight the allegations. Under the hashtag #my_truth in Hebrew, the soldiers, many of whom faced heavy fire from Hamas and other terrorist groups during the 50-day Operation Protective Edge, have begun posting stories of cases showing how they went to great lengths to avoid harming Palestinians. They also mention cases in which civilians took part in terrorist activity. After reading the Breaking the Silence pamphlet, former IDF soldier Matan Katzman wrote on his Facebook page last Thursday that “during Operation Summer Rains in Beit Hanoun [in the northern Gaza Strip in 2006], we entered a house with a couple living in it. We asked them if they’re involved with Hamas, they said ‘no, not at all.’ We asked them if they have weapons in the house, they said ‘no, not at all.’ We stayed in the house for a couple of hours. When we left, we moved the couch and discovered an IED.” The informal pro-IDF campaign by former Israeli soldiers also cited examples of humane and respectful behavior towards non-combatants during operations in Judea and Samaria. Avishai Shorsham recalled in a testimony that he wrote of his service on his Facebook page on Wednesday, that “During an operation in the Nablus Kasbah, while we are in the middle of a stakeout, an old man who lived in the house felt sharp pain in his chest. Without accordance with our orders, we evacuated him in the middle of the night while endangering ourselves.” According to the organization’s website, the recent Breaking the Silence pamphlet was produced with the “generous support” of such foreign organizations as Christian Aid, Dan Church Aid, Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law Secretariat, as well as Open Society Foundations funded by George Soros.
‘#MyTruth’ Movement Grows Among IDF Soldiers Protesting ‘Breaking the Silence’ Report
One story, posted by Avihai Shoshan and Dror Dagan, tells of a risky 2004 mission to kill the head of Hamas’ Beit Lechem military operations, who was responsible for a deadly bus bombing in January that year which killed 11 people. “The Duvdevan Unit was chosen for the task, and after just a day-long briefing, set out to settle the score. The maneuvers themselves were complex and dangerous. For the purposes of security, we won’t elaborate. As we broke into the house and quickly checked the rooms, somebody fell and fainted who was later identified as the wife of that very senior Hamas operative. “Dror, the company medic, didn’t hesitate and started treating the woman. Not two minutes passed when it turned out that the story of the fainting woman was really a trap. Everything was a show, a stalling trick to allow the wanted man to get organized. Inside a hollow wall, the wanted man is hiding and starts shooting indiscriminately. Several soldiers are immediately wounded, among them Dror the medic, who is mortally wounded. “After a long rehabilitation, Dror is paralyzed from the chest down and is registered 100% disabled. Dror is wounded because he was educated on IDF ethical procedure of treating any wounded casualty, even if the casualty is the wife of a senior terrorist who faints during an arrest.” The authors posted a picture apparently showing Dror in a wheelchair below the story. Shorshan, one of the movement’s promoters, posted a call to fellow soldiers to “publish truth against the lies that Breaking the Silence has spread in Israel and around the world.”
Yarmouk and the Failure of Palestine Solidarity
If the story of Yarmouk tells us anything, it is that the Palestinian national movement and its supporters profoundly lack both intellectual imagination and moral integrity. Yarmouk might have been an opportunity for the Palestinian solidarity movement to re-examine its entire world view, now that an Arab regime is turning the descendants of the original Palestinian refugees into refugees themselves. Such a process would not necessarily lead to a meaningful transformation of the Palestinian view of Israel. But it could trigger a more honest appraisal of the role of Arab regimes in delaying a final resolution of the Palestinian issue, as well as recognition that the successive generations of Syrian-born Palestinians genuinely belonged to a country now ravaged by the worst humanitarian crisis since the Second World War. To think in this way, though, would put the interpretation of the Nakba as an ongoing Israeli sin at risk, by introducing additional layers of unwelcome complexity. If Netanyahu can be called a war criminal, then why not Assad? If Palestinians in Yarmouk need solidarity and assistance now, how does talk of 1948 and the “right of return” help them? These and similar questions remain unasked by those who paraded through our streets with Palestinian flags last summer. Until they start asking them, more Palestinians will die in Syria and elsewhere in the Arab world.
Netanyahu's Coalition Says it Wants Peace with Palestinians
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's coalition stressed its desire Wednesday to achieve peace with the Palestinians and other Arab states as he prepared to present his new government. "The Jewish people have the indisputable right to a sovereign state in the Land of Israel, its national and historic homeland," read the coalition guidelines presented to parliament, AFP reported. "The government will advance the diplomatic process and strive to reach a peace agreement with the Palestinians and all our neighbors, while maintaining Israel's security, historical and national interests," they read. Any such agreement would be submitted the Knesset, for approval "and if necessary by law, to a referendum".
Obama sees 'difficult path' in renewing Israel-Palestinian talks
President Barack Obama said on Tuesday that he has not given up hope for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict but said tensions in the region and "serious questions about overall commitment" have made progress difficult. "It's no secret that we now have a very difficult path forward. As a result, the United States is taking a hard look at our approach to the conflict," Obama said in an interview with Asharq al-Awsat, an Arabic international newspaper based in London. "We look to the new Israeli government and the Palestinians to demonstrate - through policies and actions - a genuine commitment to a two-state solution," Obama said. Obama said that he empathized with the concerns expressed by regional allies apprehensive over the possibility that Iran will be permitted to obtain a nuclear weapon.
'EU must reassess Mideast policy, hold Israel to account for settlements'
A prominent group of former European diplomats and heads of state say that US policy with regard to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has failed and that a new EU led approach is needed. According to a Wednesday report in the British newspaper The Guardian, the European Eminent Persons Group sent a letter to Brussels’ top diplomat, Federica Mogherini, demanding a “reassessment” that supports among other things a UN Security Council resolution that is expected to call for the creation of a Palestinian state by 2017. The letter is also critical of current EU policy, specifically its use of financial assistance. It urges that tougher steps be taken to hold Israel accountable for West Bank settlement building, such as product labeling. "We maintain our view that the current financial and political assistance given by Europe and America to the Palestinian Authority achieves little more than the preservation of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and imprisonment of Gaza,” the letter reads. “The Palestinian Authority's tenuous grip on the West Bank population's allegiance has required strong security and other dependence on Israel, funded primarily by Europe and the US. Gaza has shamefully been left to one side." The letter urges the European Union to pursue a tougher line on Israel in the wake of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s re-election and the anticipated formation of his new rightist coalition.
Makovsky: Most land tenders announced during peace talks were agreed to by Abbas
During the nine months of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations that ended in failure in 2014, 62 percent of Israel’s publicly announced tenders for housing beyond the Green Line were earmarked for the 1.9% of West Bank land that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas had once consented would remain in Israel’s hands. David Makovsky, who was a member of US Secretary of State John Kerry’s negotiating team during this period, pointed out this little-known fact during a speech Tuesday at a conference on US-Israel relations that took place at Bar- Ilan University’s Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies. Makovsky, a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said that Israel was more “geographically cautious” with settlement announcements during the negotiating period than many realize. “It would have been helpful if that could have been made public,” Makovsky said, explaining that for political reasons that was not a possibility. This geographic caution was not stated publicly but was the policy.
Supporters of Israel Promoted in British PM Cameron’s New Cabinet
Following his surprise victory in last week’s general election, British Prime Minister David Cameron has named his new cabinet, which includes two well-known supporters of Israel. The first all-Conservative cabinet in eighteen years (during his first term as Prime Minister, Cameron was forced into a coalition with the Liberal Democrats, who were decimated in last week’s elections) includes a record number of women ministers. Among them is Theresa May, who returns to the post of Home Secretary. Included in the brief for that job is combating the rise in anti-Semitism; speaking in the wake of the January 2015 terrorist atrocities in Paris, during which a kosher supermarket was attacked, May declared that the UK had to redouble its efforts to “wipe out anti-Semitism,” adding that she “never thought I’d see the day when members of the Jewish community” would be “fearful” of staying in the UK. Two of the Conservative Party’s most vocal supporters of Israel also find themselves in the cabinet: Michael Gove, the former Education Secretary, has been promoted to Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary, while Robert Halfon enters the cabinet for the first time as minister without portfolio. Halfon has also been appointed deputy chairman of the Conservative Party. As well as frequently expressing his support for the State of Israel, Gove has rounded on the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement in the UK. Speaking to the Holocaust Education Trust shortly after the summer 2014 war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, Gove explicitly compared the BDS campaign to the boycotts of Jewish stores and goods imposed by Nazi Germany in the 1930s.
Giuliani to IDF Soldiers: By Defending Israel, You Defend the US
Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani met Tuesday with ten Israeli soldiers wounded in last summer's Operation Protective Edge. Giuliani met with the soldiers at a midtown Manhattan kosher restaurant, on their last day of a ten-day trip to New York City, arranged by the Chabad-affiliated nonprofit group Belev Echad (With One Heart). The former mayor also stressed to the soldiers that the United States and Israel are fighting a common enemy in Hamas and other Islamic terror groups, further criticizing Obama for refusing to use that term. Noting American admiration for the Israelis' service to their country, Giuliani praised one of America's "greatest allies" for also helping to defend the US against terrorist threats. “We’re both fighting, America and Israel, the same terrorists, the same ideas about Jihad and because of Israel I think the United States gets a lot of help and a lot of support. We learn a lot about security … Hamas is an enemy of the United States also," Giuliani argued. "Thank you very, very much for what you’re doing because by defending Israel you’re also defending America,” he said with gratitude.
UN Watch: UN Watch Condemns Saudi Bid to Head UN Rights Council, Urges World Leaders to Oppose “Oppressive, Fundamentalist Regime”
The fundamentalist Saudi monarchy is seeking to head the world’s top human rights body, a move liable to be “the final nail in the coffin for the credibility of a body that already counts dictatorships like China, Cuba, and Russia as members, and whose top advisor is co-founder of the Muammar Qaddafi Human Rights Prize,” said Hillel Neuer, executive director of the Geneva-based UN Watch, a non-governmental human rights group. “We urge U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power and EU foreign minister Federica Mogherini to denounce this despicable act of cynicism by a regime that beheads people in the town square, systematically oppresses women, Christians, and gays, and jails innocent bloggers like Raif Badawi for the crime of challenging the rulers’ radical brand of Wahabbist Islam.” UN Watch has learned from diplomatic sources, as confirmed by the Tribune de Genève, that Saudi Arabia, an elected member of the 47-nation Human Rights Council, is actively lobbying the Asian group to be elected as president for 2016. Germany currently holds the presidency, a one-year term that rotates among the five regional groups. “Electing Saudi Arabia as the world’s judge on human rights would be like making a pyromaniac as the town fire chief,” said Neuer.
Vatican recognizes state of Palestine in new treaty
The Vatican officially recognized the state of Palestine in a new treaty Wednesday, drawing criticism from Jerusalem. The treaty, which was finalized Wednesday but still has to be signed, makes clear that the Holy See has switched its diplomatic relations from the Palestinian Liberation Organization to the state of Palestine. The Vatican had welcomed the decision by the UN General Assembly in 2012 to recognize a Palestinian state. But the treaty is the first legal document negotiated between the Holy See and the Palestinian state and constitutes an official recognition. Israeli officials criticized the Vatican announcement.
Netanyahu: Nuclear talks continue even as official says Iran has God's approval to destroy Israel
Netanyahu was speaking at a special Victory Day ceremony in the Knesset on Wednesday marking 70 years since the capitulation of the Nazis to the Soviet Union. "Against the enemies of freedom, enlightenment and progress we need to stand firm and in a timely manner, in order to prevent them from using weapons of mass destruction in order to realize their murderous agendas," the prime minister said. Netanyahu quoted a senior Iranian official who he said was quoted in Arab media sources on Wednesday as saying that Iran has God's permission to liquidate Israel. "These statements are being heard by the representatives taking part in negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program, and the talks continue as normal," Netanyahu said. "We need to stand firm to prevent the Iranians from using weapons of mass destruction to carry out their will against Israel," Netanyahu added.
Wiesenthal Center: ‘P5+1 Must Denounce Iran’s Latest Threat to Destroy Israel’
A senior official of the Simon Wiesenthal Center attending an international conference in Israel, demanded that the world powers negotiating a deal that will remove sanctions against Iran, denounce the Iranian regime’s continuous threats to destroy Israel. “Over 1,000 people have converged on Jerusalem for the Global Forum For Combating Anti-Semitism, but our efforts to turn back the escalating threats to world Jewry won’t mean much if the leaders of the civilized world maintain their silence as Tehran’s threats to destroy the Jewish state continue unabated and unchallenged,” charged Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the leading Jewish human rights NGO. “Now is the time for the United States, Germany, France, and England to finally demand that Iran drop its genocidal threats against Israel.” Rabbi Cooper was talking about the latest threat from Mojtaba Zolnour, the advisor to Ayatollah Khamenei’s representative to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.
John Bolton: A Nuclear Iran Cannot Be Contained
Whatever the outcome of this week’s meetings, the GCC states are likely to pursue their own increasingly independent policy from Washington. Their leaders might not like it but the evidence from six years (and counting) of the Obama administration is unmistakably that America does not stand by its allies when their time of troubles comes. The Arab monarchs are nothing if not realists and they will explore multiple options rather than relying solely on a weak, feckless president who cannot distinguish his country’s interests from those of its adversaries. That prospect is truly discouraging, highlighting that, in the precious little time remaining, America’s real objective must be to do whatever is necessary to stop Iran from crossing the nuclear finish line (assuming it has not already done so undetected by us). Obama, however, will most probably only give evidence of the continuing decline he has wrought in American influence throughout the critical Middle East and around the world.
JCPA: After the “Corker Vote”: the State of Opposition to the Iran Deal
Obstacles to the Iran Agreement It should not be taken for granted that an agreement will be signed by the June 30 deadline. Pay less attention to the Washington dramas. Bellicose Iranian declarations, U.S. Administration obfuscation on details, and events in the region may trip up the Iranian and P5+1 diplomats closeting in Vienna this week. If – and it may be a big if – a nuclear agreement is reached, Congress will have much to ponder, in particular the vast gaps between hitherto disclosed American “fact sheet” details and Iranian leaders’ understandings and declarations. “If there is no end to sanctions, there will not be an agreement,” Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on April 15, 2015. “The end of these negotiations and a signed deal must include a declaration of cancelling the oppressive sanctions on the great nation of Iran.” Iran wants sanctions, including UN sanctions as well as separate U.S. and EU sanctions, to be lifted immediately. The United States says sanctions against Iran will be removed gradually. On May 9, 2015, the Iranian Supreme Leader’s representative at the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), Ali Saeedi, declared, “There is no possibility for the inspection of military centers.” Inspections will be limited to Iranian provinces in which a part of the country’s nuclear fuel production cycle exists. “If they want to put their nose into other places within the framework of inspections, it will be against our national interests and security, and neither the Supreme Leader nor the parliament will allow this to happen,” Saeedi said.
Rebuffing Iran, IAEA head says deal allows access to military sites
Iran tentatively agreed last month to open its atomic activities to greater scrutiny as part of the deal, which would require it to commit to curbing nuclear activities that could be used to make weapons in exchange for relief from international sanctions. But Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has since set conditions, declaring military sites off limits “to foreigners … under the pretext of inspections.” Brig. Gen. Hossein Salami of the Revolutionary Guards warns that anyone setting foot into an Iranian military facility will be met with “hot lead” — meaning bullets. In an Associated Press interview Tuesday, Amano said Iran specifically agreed to implement what’s known as the agency’s “Additional Protocol” when it agreed to the outlines of the deal now being worked on. The protocol would allow the Vienna-based agency’s inspectors much more access than they have now to follow up on suspicions of undeclared Iranian nuclear activities or equipment. The United States and Russia are among the 147 countries with additional protocols, although the US and some others have provisions designed to ensure that inspections do not compromise national security, something Iran also demands. Still, Amano said the same rules will apply to Iran as to the others that have signed on. “In many other countries from time to time we request access to military sites when we have the reason to, so why not Iran?” he said. “If we have a reason to request access, we will do so, and in principle Iran has to accept it.” Amano said the agency can request access, clarification or a “short-notice inspection” anytime “there is any inconsistency (or) abnormality” to what Iran has declared as its nuclear work or assets.
Iran says much of nuclear deal already agreed
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Tuesday that major portions of a draft nuclear agreement between Tehran and the P5+1 worlds powers have been agreed on, while acknowledging that some small differences remained. “We have now a text that a major part of it, even all its phrases, has been agreed but a part of it is still a source of difference,” Araqchi said in an interview upon arrival in Vienna on Tuesday, ahead of a next round of negotiations. “In certain paragraphs, there is difference on one phrase and in certain other paragraphs, one sentence and in certain parts, the whole phrase has not been agreed; yet now a major part has ended,” he added. Arachi said he hoped the agreement would be finalized by the target date of June 30.
Merkel to Rivlin: Nuclear agreement unlikely to be reached with Iran
German Chancellor Angela Merkel told President Reuven Rivlin on Tuesday that reaching an agreement with Iran might prevent further development of Iran’s nuclear capability. However, she added, the current reality shows no promise of an agreement. She also reiterated Germany’s commitment to Israel’s safety and security. In response, Rivlin said that tougher sanctions on Iran would probably be a more effective measure than the present situation. He also emphasized that, if attacked, Israel reserves the right to defend itself to the best of its ability. Prior to her meeting with Rivlin, Merkel visited a school in Berlin where she was asked by one of the students why Germany continues to sell weapons to Israel. Merkel unhesitatingly replied that, because six million Jews lost their lives under the Nazi regime, Germany is obligated to defend Israel.
Obama’s lonely Gulf summit
The White House may deny it, but the spotty attendance of Persian Gulf leaders at the summit meeting President Obama organized for them this week is an unmistakable signal of dissatisfaction with their U.S. ally. Saudi Arabia’s King Salman is not about to follow the example of Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu by publicly assailing Mr. Obama’s nuclear negotiations with Iran or his reluctance to counter its aggression across the region. But his decision not to attend a dinner and a day of discussions at Camp David after the White House had already announced his attendance — and the nonappearance of three of the five other heads of state — shows that the administration’s efforts to reassure these long-standing U.S. Middle East allies are falling short. The cause of the Arabs’ dissastisfaction is not hard to discern. While insisting that he is ready to bolster their defenses and quiet their fears about an emerging U.S.-Iranian detente, Mr. Obama is offering only modest steps: a reiteration of past presidential statements pledging to defend the Gulf states against external attack; a plan to better integrate the region’s missile defenses; more sea and air exercises. What’s not on offer is what the kings and emirs say they want, including a formal defense treaty, sales of high-tech weaponry like the F-35 warplane and greater U.S. support for the forces fighting the Iranians and their proxies in Yemen and Syria.
Speaking to WWII veterans, Netanyahu compares Iran to Nazis
Speaking at the Knesset during a discussion devoted to the victory of the Allied forces in World War II 70 years ago, Netanyahu said world powers should learn a lesson from the rise of Nazi Germany and not go ahead with an agreement that would allow Tehran to continue enriching uranium and lift sanctions. “The lesson of history is never to make concessions to a radical regime which waves the banner of genocide and expansionism,” he said. “This morning a senior Iranian official is quoted as saying Iran has divine permission to exterminate Israel. Those conducting the negotiations with Iran hear this and continue talks as usual.” The statement was an apparent reference to the 1938 Munich accords, by which world powers allowed Hitler to carve up Czechoslovakia in the hopes of appeasing the Nazi leader — a comparison made before by Israeli officials. Netanyahu cited Iran’s “tentacles of terror across the Middle East” and its burgeoning nuclear program, which is suspected of being for military purposes, saying Israel was obligated “to determinedly defend our sovereignty and security.” “In parallel, we will not ease up on the effort to warn world powers that a compromising agreement with Iran will turn out to be a mistake that will cost dearly. In any case, Israel will defend itself, by itself, from any threat,” he said.
Kerry meets Putin, will ask to delay S-300 transfer to Iran
The top US diplomat will make the case to Putin that Russia should not proceed with its planned transfer of an advanced air defense system to Iran. Diplomats in Moscow and Washington are at odds over an announcement last month that Russia would lift a five-year ban on delivery of an air defense missile system to Iran, drawing a hasty rebuke from the United States and Israel. The White House said the missile system would give the Islamic Republic’s military a strong deterrent against any air attack. The Kremlin argues that the S-300 is a purely defensive system that won’t jeopardize the security of Israel or any other countries in the Middle East.
If Sanctions Have Already Collapsed, We Know the Outcome of the Iran Talks
The deadline is fast approaching for the completion of the draft of the Iran nuclear agreement. When the framework was announced last month, the assumption was that the deal would soon be put on paper. But it soon became clear that there were serious differences on key issues between Iran and the West about the final terms of the pact that had to be hammered out in negotiations. President Obama has insisted that he will not budge on his insistence that Iran agree to sanctions being lifted on a delayed basis and be able to be “snapped back” in the event of Tehran violating the deal, the imposition of intrusive nuclear inspections and that it will be forced to give up its stockpile of enriched uranium. But confidence that he will stand his ground in the talks is being undermined daily by evidence that the economic sanctions that brought Iran to the table are already breaking down. As Eli Lake reports at BloombergView, the delivery of nine used commercial airliners in Iran for use by Mahan Air illustrates that the ground on which Obama is standing is falling apart. If sanctions can’t be kept now, why would Iran give in on any of these issues, let alone fear they would be re-imposed later? The airliner deal that Lake discusses is important because, as he notes, the U.S. Treasury Department has targeted Mahan Air in the past because of its ties to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps. But now apparently, all is forgiven and the company’s efforts to bolster its fleet are not being interfered with by the U.S. or its allies. The efforts of Russia, which has already announced the sale of anti-aircraft missiles to Iran, and China to undermine the sanctions to which they have only reluctantly endorsed, are well known. So, too, if the fact that Western Europe has been chomping at the bit to buy Iranian oil as well as do business in the country. As I wrote last month, even American companies are now eagerly preparing to dive back into the Iranian market.
Iran threatens war if ‘aid ship’ to Yemen attacked
Iran threatened to declare war on any country that attacks a ship it says contains humanitarian aid currently making its way to Yemen, accompanied by warships. The warning came amid heightened tensions after the Islamic Republic seized a cargo ship last month. Iranian Armed Forces Brigadier-General Massoud Jazzayeri warned that any attack on “the Iranian Red Crescent aid ship will spark war in the region. And this fire may not be put out or brought under control.” “The US and Saudi Arabia should know that Iran’s self-restraint has a limit,” he told the Arabic-language TV Alalam, according to the semi-official Fars news agency.
MEMRI: Pakistani Urdu Weekly: 'Iran Is A Greater Danger For Muslims Than Israel' – Israel Has Not 'Massacred The Muslim Population In Iraq, Nor It Has Bloodied Rivers With Muslim Blood In Syria'
Following are excerpts from the Haftroza Al-Qalam article: "Yes, Muslims! Iran Is A Danger; Only Iran Is The Protector Of Israel And Of All The Infidels In This Region [Of The Middle East]" "[I am] grateful for the fact that because of the crisis in Yemen, Iran's reality has been exposed to a lot of Muslims.Iran is a greater danger for Muslims than Israel. British intelligence agencies' hundred-year effort created the Iranian Revolution. Yes, no doubt, Israel too is a big threat and a big enemy, but it lives in fear and worry to save its existence. "It [Israel] has not helped international imperialists in Afghanistan; neither has it massacred the Muslim population in Iraq, nor it has bloodied rivers with Muslims' blood in Syria; it did not cut the throats of Muslims in Yemen. But Iran has done all of these. You just read the moving story of the horrible massacre of Muslims in the Iraqi city of Tikrit [by a pro-Iran militia]. You would not believe that man can resort to such cruelty. "The West itself concocted and spread stories about Daulat-e-Islamia's [ISIS] cruelty, but the international media has not spared two minutes, or two lines, in reporting how in Tikrit the Iranian Pasban [militia] put Genghis Khan and Halaku Khan [the 13th century Mongol invaders] to shame. This is because Iran is, at this time, the 'darling' of the infidels.
Despite Risks to Personnel, Israel Has Treated 1,600 Syrians in Last Two Years
Israel has treated 1,600 victims of Syria’s civil war over the last two years, according to a report written by Ron Ben-Yishai for Ynet. Ben-Yishai was on the Israeli-Syrian border in the Golan Heights and reported on the transfer of an injured fighter into Israel for treatment. The recent escalation in fighting has led to a stream of wounded Syrians arriving almost daily, and “[i]t is likely that most if not all of these nationals are rebels from the rival jihadist Islamic State and al-Nusra Front groups.” While there are trusted contacts on the Syria side of the border, the IDF still has to take precautions.
IDF Gaza Front Commander Turns “Palestinian” Hero over Misquote
Reading the headlines various Middle East editors have slapped on a recent AFP/Reuters story, one would believe a top-ranking IDF officer switched sides, God forbid: “Israeli General: ‘Israel and Hamas have common interests.'” “A top Israeli general thinks Hamas is crucial to peace in Israel” “No obvious alternative to Hamas in Gaza, says top Israeli general” “Israeli general says Hamas needed for Gaza stability” These headlines display a remarkable level of wishful thinking on the part of Arab, European and Israeli editors, gleaning confirmation for their political views from a factual—and frank—discussion of realities in the Gaza strip by said officer. It began with a meeting this week, between soon-retiring southern command chief Major General Sami Turgeman and local southern mayors, in which the commander addressed the situation in Gaza, eight months after last summer’s Operation Protective Edge, and what to expect from the next round of fighting against Hamas.
PMW: PA and Fatah present Israel "as occupied Palestine"
The Palestinian Authority and Fatah continue to deny the existence of Israel, presenting towns, villages and sites all over Israel as "Palestinian" and "occupied." In the terminology of the PA's National Security Forces, Mount Tabor is situated in "occupied Nazareth" [Facebook, PA National Security Forces, March 10, 2015] and the hippodrome in Caesarea is in "Palestine" [Facebook, Feb. 8, 2015]. PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement reiterated the same message - that there is no room for Israel next to "Palestine" - by stating: "Palestine means the entire national land, from the [Jordan] River to the [Mediterranean] Sea The_land_is_for_us Palestine"[Facebook, "Fatah - The Main Page," April 8, 2015] Since May 7, 2015, all broadcasts on official PA TV have been showing a logo with the PA's representation of the map of "Palestine," which includes the PA areas, the Gaza Strip and all of Israel. The map appears with a key, symbolizing the "return" of Palestinians. PA TV possibly shows the logo in anticipation of the annual "Nakba day," May 15, when Palestinians commemorate the "catastrophe" of the establishment of the State of Israel.
Jimmy Carter Trying to Strong-Arm PA and Hamas into Reconciling
Former US President Jimmy Carter is reportedly pushing for the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Hamas to reconcile, against the wishes of both organizations. According to AI Monitor, two weeks ago Carter visited PA President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah; during their talks, Carter encouraged Abbas to return to the Beach Refugee Camp Agreement from last year, in which the PA and Hamas agreed to combine into one unified government. He was unable to visit Gaza due to security restrictions, but managed to communicate a similar message to Hamas leaders. Both Hamas and the PA representatives said that they were uninterested in Carter's plan.
Khaled Abu Toameh: Hamas says Fatah behind recent Gaza bombings
Hamas on Tuesday accused members of its rival Fatah faction of being behind the recent spate of bombings in the Gaza Strip. A senior Hamas official said that investigations into the bombings, which targeted security installations and figures in the Gaza Strip, showed that Fatah members associated with the Palestinian Authority security forces in the West Bank were responsible for the attacks. The official denied that Salafi jihadists who are affiliated with the Islamic State terrorist group were linked to the bombings. The Hamas official was quoted by the Palestinian Amad news agency as saying that at least 12 Fatah members have been arrested in the Gaza Strip in connection with the bombings.
Lebanon turns to UNIFIL to end air, sea, land ‘border violations’ by Israel
In a meeting chaired by the head of mission and force commander of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, Maj.- Gen. Luciano Portolano, and attended by senior officers from the Lebanese and Israeli armies, Israel’s neighbor demanded a halt to “Israeli violations” of its sovereignty. “The Lebanese delegation presented [a list of] Israeli violations by air, ground and sea, demanding they halt immediately,” the Lebanese army said in a statement, according to the Beirut-based Daily Star. “The Lebanese delegation] stressed the need to resolve incidents in the field, even if they are simple, in order to prevent them from developing and causing larger incidents,” the statement said. The Lebanese delegation, headed by Brig.-Gen. Muhammad Janbeh, argued that UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the Second Lebanon War in 2006, needs to be implemented.
Syrian rebels claim Nasrallah suffered stroke
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has suffered a stroke and is being treated at a Beirut hospital, websites affiliated with the Syrian rebels claimed on Tuesday, spawning a maelstrom of rumors. The online reports, which were not independently confirmed by any official source, said the cerebrovascular accident was not serious, and that the Shi'ite group's leader was evacuated to the Al Rasul Al Azam Hospital in Dahye last Thursday. It was not immediately clear if Nasrallah suffered from cardiac arrest or a stroke, but the Syrian sites reported he was still in the southern-Beirut hospital, under medical supervision. "Nasrallah has suffered from inadequate health as of late," the rebels said, as the news slowly made the rounds on the Internet, "and has seemed drained -- sweating and reaching for water in recent TV appearances." Shi'ite Muslim Hezbollah is a longtime ally of Syria's President Bashar aAssad and has been directly involved in combat in the war-torn country.
Israel Says Hezbollah Positions Put Lebanese at Risk
Viewed from the air, Muhaybib looks like a typical southern Lebanese village — a cluster of about 90 houses and buildings punctuated by the minaret of a mosque and surrounded by fields. But when the Israeli military trains its lens on that hilltop Shiite village close to the border, it sees nine arms depots, five rocket-launching sites, four infantry positions, signs of three underground tunnels, three antitank positions and, in the very center of the village, a Hezbollah command post. As Israel prepares for what it sees as an almost inevitable next battle with Hezbollah, the Shiite Lebanese organization that fought a monthlong war against Israel in 2006, Israeli military officials and experts are warning that the group has done more than significantly build up its firepower since then. Maps and aerial photography provided to The New York Times by Israeli military officials this week illustrate, they say, that Hezbollah has moved most of its military infrastructure into the Shiite villages of southern Lebanon and around their perimeters. Israel says this amounts to using the civilians as a human shield. Without knowing when the next war will break out, or what might precipitate it, the Israelis are blunt about the implications: They will not hesitate to strike at those targets, so southern Lebanon will most likely be the scene of widespread destruction.
Every year, on "Nakba Day," Arab newspapers scramble to find old people who can act as eyewitnesses to the horrors of how Israel treated their people who would become to be known years later as "Palestinians."
Al Watan Voice published an interview with 80-year old Mrs. Kalhout, who lived in a village called Ni'ilya which was near Gaza.
She describes how her family fled the town - and makes an interesting admission.
Residents of the village and surrounding areas tried to prepare themselves battle. Leaders gave them clubs to go out and attack the Jews. But they didn't find any, and returned to their homes.
Then, she says, after hearing about the massacre by Israel in Deir Yassin and in other Arab towns and villages up north, home towns of the northern region and carrying out massacres there, everyone fled to Gaza without seeing a single Jew enter their towns.
In fact, this happened in November 1948, many months after Deir Yassin, and the IDF fought with Egyptian forces in the area. Mrs. Kalhout says that they thought they would be able to return after a day but they couldn't.
In fact, this was the pattern for the large majority of the Arab refugees - they left their homes based on wild Arab rumors or direction from Arab leaders, promising that they would return in no time. But the vast majority of Arabs who left what became Israel were not expelled and never even saw an Israeli soldier.
I don't recall ever seeing a first-hand account of Arabs who were told to or forced leave their homes by Israeli soldiers. It definitely happened in some cases, especially where the areas were critical for Israel's defense, but that was by far the exception rather than the rule.
And that goes as well for none other than Mahmoud Abbas, who admits that his family left Safed voluntarily:
"Until the nakba" (calamity in Arabic - the loaded synonym for Israeli independence), he recounted, his family "was well-off in Safed." When Abbas was 13, "we left on foot at night to the Jordan River... Eventually we settled in Damascus... My father had money, and he spent his money methodically. After a year, when the money ran out, we began to work.
"People were motivated to run away... They feared retribution from Zionist terrorist organizations - particularly from the Safed ones. Those of us from Safed especially feared that the Jews harbored old desires to avenge what happened during the 1929 uprising.... They realized the balance of forces was shifting and therefore the whole town was abandoned on the basis of this rationale - saving our lives and our belongings."
When people say that the Nakba is the anniversary of the Arabs being expelled from Palestine, they are lying.
It contains the full Haggadah text, including English (except for Nirtzah.) It includes dozens of commentaries that I found on the Internet, almost all from a religious-Zionist perspective. Many of the commentaries assume that the audience is religious, so there are many transliterations of Hebrew words that I did not translate. I did not write anything original; I just compiled and edited it, pretty quickly.
The Haggadah is in PDF format, suitable for printing. It is 61 pages long and looks decent when printed two-sided on a color printer.
I had always hoped to rewrite it and make a real printed edition, which would entail paraphrasing all the commentaries and expanding it, but I never had the time.
(I seem to remember that a paragraph in Maggid is missing, but I couldn't find it now from a quick glance. Maybe I'll fix it next year.)
About 1500 people downloaded the Haggadah so far.
I still can't believe that there are not more Haggadahs with an explicitly Zionist theme, at least in English. The theme of redemption seems such a natural fit.
(Here's one that is implicitly Zionist, based on the writings of Rav Kook. )
To download the Elder of Ziyon Haggadah, click here and then click on the text that says "Click here to start download from MediaFire."
From Ian: How Israeli ‘Human Rights’ Groups Threaten Our Very Existence
Im Tirtzu has issued a number of position papers to counter the narratives slandering Israel, including: Nakba Nonsense, which refutes the Nakba narrative; a report on Palestinian funding of organizations which produced “evidence” against the IDF and Israel during Operation Protective Edge; a report that revealed the organizations behind and the funding of the migrants’ protests; and position papers focusing on foreign governmental funding of Israeli organizations. A comparison of the issues that are emphasized by these organizations with those they choose to ignore reveals a completely different picture from what one might expect from a human rights organization. In fact, these organizations, which speak in shrill tones in the name of equality, are actually and deliberately perpetrating ethnic discrimination as part of their political agendas. Organizations that scream in favor of basic living conditions for every infiltrator are encouraging the distress of the residents of entire neighborhoods (and, ironically, of the infiltrators themselves). Adding in the reality of foreign funding produces a frightening picture in which European governments have deliberately sought to promote racist attacks against Jews and their rights in their national home. The appropriate name for these organizations is actually “organizations for the exploitation of the issue of human rights as a political objective.” Not only the State of Israel, but also its supporters all over the world, must understand the threat that hangs over it from foreign funding intended to prejudice the country’s identity. Above all, Israel must stop the destructive influence exercised by anti-human-rights “human rights” organizations.
Belgian groups condemn airing of video featuring anti-Israel guide at Auschwitz
Belgian anti-racism groups condemned a public broadcaster’s airing of a video showing a guide at Auschwitz telling visiting youths that she is pro-Palestinian and anti-Semitic because of Israel. The video was aired by the Flemish VRT network on May 8 as part of the program Terzake. It was about a trip organized by the “Trein der 1000” nongovernmental group for 1,000 teenagers from Belgium to the former Nazi death camp in Poland. The program is meant to teach adolescents about the Holocaust in order to educate them about the dangers of racism. At the camp, the group’s Jewish guide, Lydia Chagoll, 84, is seen saying: “I am pro-Palestinian. I’m anti-Semitic.” Chagoll made the statement while talking to 18-year-old Fida’a Temraz, a Belgian high school student of Palestinian descent, and several other students. Referencing Israel, Chagoll added: “I am an anti-Semite, because I think it is a scandal that cannot be permitted. It cannot happen.” In a statement, the Flemish Forum of Jewish Organizations wrote that Chagoll’s statement about being anti-Semitic was probably sarcastic, but that because of her actions, “an activity meant to be educational turned into a disgusting and historically incorrect statement.”
‘Rubble-washing’? Israel’s disaster outreach does little for its image
Providing emergency disaster relief has become something of an Israeli tradition. Jerusalem sends help almost wherever and whenever calamities occur: Rwanda, Haiti, Japan, the Philippines and even Turkey and Egypt (in 2004, members of the IDF’s Medical Corps and search and rescue teams rushed to Taba in the Sinai peninsula and stayed for three days after several explosions killed and injured dozens, including 13 Israelis). Each aid delegation that rushes out brings with it accusations from critics of the Israeli government of “rubble-washing” — that Israel is providing aid in far-flung areas, at least in part, to distract from human rights violations at home. Others argue, though, that Israel, which has mastered the art of emergency medicine, altruistically yearns to help those in need, simply because it’s the right thing to do. A look at recent disaster relief operations shows that Israel could not have realistically expected any diplomatic dividends beyond slightly improving its image through worldwide coverage of its field hospitals. And that’s precisely how things have played out: A little bounce in Israel’s standing, but no substantive benefit; just the satisfaction of doing the right thing.
Israel’s Magnificent Medical Efforts to Save Syrians
A couple of remarkable news reports have been broadcast in recent days about the care given Syrians wounded in the civil war across the border. One – the more dramatic one – was at the Israeli news site Ynet (affiliated with the daily Yedioth Ahronot); the other at CNN. The Ynet article written and narrated by one of the paper’s top journalists, Ron Ben-Yishai told of an injured man -likely a jihadist – who was severely injured by a bullet to the stomach and shrapnel wounds. Israel has “trusted intermediaries,” on the other side of the border who communicate when there is an injured person who needs treatment in Israel. Most of the injured are woman, children and the elderly. However there are also younger men, such as the subject of the article. In this case the Israeli were told that without a hospital the man would die. Despite having contacts in Syria, the Israelis know who’s on the other side of the border on the Golan Heights, so they have to take care:
Should American Jews Embrace the Evangelicals?
We live in a world that is hostile to the Jewish people. Few ethno-religious groups have ever been so embattled for so long, having had to endure persecution, intolerance, war, and exile for millennia. This still holds true today, in all its old and new incarnations, particularly as anti-Semitism sweeps across the “tolerant West” with renewed vigor. Following the Holocaust, we questioned how so many could turn a blind eye or, worse, actively participate in the savagery of those dark days. Conversely, we honored the brave souls who rescued Jews from certain death and hailed them as “righteous gentiles.” In either case, one constant remains: Historically our enemies have always outranked our friends, and this is a sobering fact that we rightfully lament. It’s odd, then, that many American Jews are so wracked with ambivalence toward millions of people who are doggedly trying to extend a hand of friendship and offer their support to the Jewish state. Of course, I am referring to Evangelical Christians; a demographic which comprises nearly 100 million people in the U.S. alone, and whose mere mention invokes reactions ranging from warmth and appreciation to outright repudiation among members of the Jewish community. For the most part, despite Evangelicals’ support for the Jewish state and desire to embrace the Jewish people, their affection has often largely gone unrequited. In fact, only one-third of American Jews view Christian Zionists in a favorable light. This harsh reality, however, has not deterred Evangelicals from trying to befriend the Jewish people both at home and in Israel. According to a recent Pew poll, 69 percent of Evangelicals view American Jews positively, while 64 percent of American Jews view Evangelicals with skepticism or even negativity. In fact, Jewish Americans trail only atheists in their coolness toward Evangelicals. What is at the root of this stark imbalance? The answer is hardly obvious. While divergent theological beliefs certainly play a role, as does Christianity’s history of anti-Semitic transgressions, the root of some American Jews’ modern-day distance from Christian Zionists may actually lie in the two communities’ often polarized political and social ideologies.
Anti-Semitism in a liberal disguise
The fifth Global Forum for Combating Anti-Semitism (GFCA) opened in Israel on Tuesday evening in the presence of senior statesmen, parliament members, diplomats, research bodies, Jewish community heads, religious leaders and international organizations from dozens of countries, led by the Foreign Ministry. The state of anti-Semitism has never been as serious as on the eve of this forum. Seventy years since the darkest chapter in the history of Europe, anti-Semitism is reaching levels which have yet to be seen, and there is barely a single area in Europe which is free of hatred towards Jews. There are thousands of cases of anti-Jewish violence, anti-Semitic incitement and Holocaust denial. One of the reasons is the export of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to European countries through extreme propaganda led by radical Muslim immigrants, who are intentionally blurring the distinction between Israel and the Jews. In addition, Jews in Europe have become the target of the radical and communist left, and at the same time we are witnessing the rise of neo-Nazi and radical right-wing parties. The "liberal" or "institutional" anti-Semitism, which has developed from the political center, is also growing stronger in recent years, and it may be the most alarming type of anti-Semitism: "Liberal" activists are leading efforts to outlaw key elements in the Jewish life, presenting circumcision and kosher slaughter in a demonic way, thereby igniting the winds of hatred.
Google and Facebook need your help to police online hate
According to Google and Facebook policy directors, only through users’ input will questionable material even be reviewed. Speaking in Israel at the biennial 5th Global Forum for Combating Antisemitism, Google’s Juniper Downs and Facebook’s Simon Milner joined a panel called “The Oldest Hatred in the Newest Vessels: Toward Solutions” chaired by the US special envoy to monitor and combat anti-Semitism Ira Forman. UK Ministry of Justice head of the Cross Government Hate Crime Programme Paul Giannasi and Prof. Raphael Cohen Almagor rounded out the panel. Although many governments have legislation against hate speech, there is no unified legislation, making an international product like the world wide web fertile ground for anti-Semitic or other racist individuals and groups to spread their screed. Governments are becoming increasingly aware of the issue of online hate. In the wake of the jihadist terrorist attacks against journalists and Jews in Paris, The New York Times reported that French Prime Minister Manuel Valls announced last month his government is dedicating €100 million over the next three years to combat racism and anti-Semitism by launching a nationwide awareness campaign, instituting harsher punishments for racist acts, and increased monitoring of online hate speech.
Canadian Minister: Defending Israel Key to Beating Anti-Semitism
Supporting Israel is part and parcel of the fight against anti-Semitism, and other countries should learn from Canada's example in doing so, a Canadian minister has said. Speaking to Arutz Sheva at the 5th Global Forum for Combating Anti-Semitism, Minister of State for Multiculturalism Tim Uppal said it was "only natural" that the Canadian government should send a senior delegation to the event. He cited Canada's role as a safe haven for Jews fleeing persecution in the past, including some 40,000 holocaust survivors "who came to the country, established themselves and really helped helped build the country into what it is today." Apart from that, Uppal said Canada was immensely proud of its roughly 330,000-strong Jewish community, and its contribution to Canadian life. "We have a strong and vibrant Jewish community right across the country and it has contributed to Canada in every single way... Economically... but also towards our social fabric and culture itself." But Uppal, who is the first ever turban-wearing Sikh to serve as a cabinet minister, admitted his government was concerned about anti-Semitism not only globally, but also in its own backyard, citing Bnei Brith reports in a rise in anti-Jewish hate crimes.
Anti-BDS bill passes Illinois House committee, Senate
A bill that would bar state pension funds from including companies that participate in the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign against Israel passed an Illinois State House of Representatives committee. The bill on Wednesday was unanimously approved by the Illinois State House of Representatives Executive Committee by a vote of 10-0 and will now move forward for a vote by the full chamber. It previously passed the Illinois State Senate unanimously, 49-0. The bill requires the state’s pension system to remove companies that boycott Israel from their portfolios. The bill, an amendment, is based on existing legislation that the Illinois Investment Policy Board currently enforces, mandating that state pension funds be divested from foreign firms doing business in Iran, Sudan or other countries with known human rights violations. In a statement, B’nai B’rith International said it “applauds Illinois citizens and their representatives for taking such a strong stance against a movement rooted in anti-Semitism that ultimately impedes the peace process by opposing constructive dialogue between Israel and Palestinians.” (h/t Jewess)
New Organization Monitors Campus Radicals to Expose Them to Future Employers
A new organization was launched on Tuesday to track organizers of anti-Israel movements on U.S. college campuses and alert the public, as well as future employers, about their involvement with the hate groups, The Algemeiner has learned. Canary Mission was founded by students and citizens concerned by the growing number of campus movements that work to demonize and boycott Israel, harass Jewish and pro-Israel students, and spread radical, antisemitic ideas. In a statement issued on its website, Canary Mission’s anonymous founders said the public has the right to know who is a part of this “dangerous campaign” of “ugly antisemitism and anti-Americanism that drives the anti-Israel movement on campuses across the United States.” “So do the future employers of those who immerse themselves in antisemitic activity as college students,” the statement continued. “We are determined to expose the statements, activities, and unsavory affiliations of all of those responsible for spreading this hate on our campuses.”
BDS Battles Taking Toll on Jewish Students
Haaretz reporter Ari Shavit paid a visit to two dozen US campuses and came back with a dire warning: the Jewish future is slipping through our fingers, he writes, referring to those who support Israel and Zionism. What he found on his listening tour was a besieged Jewish community, squeezed between the extreme rhetoric of BDS on one side and their own concerns about Israel’s policy on the other. We feel like we’ve been abandoned on the battlefield, many of them told me. The anti-Zionists, they said, are accusing us of collaborating with evil, but Zionism doesn’t understand us and doesn’t speak to us; instead, it’s busy building more and more and more settlements. Zionism, Shavit writes, has failed provide “a reliable, relevant and inspirational narrative” to counter the “near-overt anti-Semitism” of the BDS offensive. “And when they arrive on campus and are exposed to anti-Israel venom, the Jewish and pro-Israel identity of many of them collapses.” In other words, it’s a battle for legitimacy. And Israel is losing. The signs are clear, even without Shavit’s poignant account of beleaguered students and tearful conversations.
Protesters Arrested for Storming Synagogue in Protest of IDF
Two men from New Haven, Connecticut were arrested on Tuesday after storming a Westport synagogue hosting a delegation of the Israel Defense Forces. The Hartford Courant reported that Gregory Williams, a student at Yale University's Divinity School, and Daniel Fischer, a community activist with the Middle East Crisis Committee, were both charged with first-degree trespassing and second degree-breach of peace. According to a Westport police statement, a call was received at around 1 p.m. local time, with complaints of "unwanted people protesting" a luncheon and discussion at Temple Israel featuring IDF soldiers. Witnesses believed one of the suspects was carrying a gun as he approached the building, but police said no weapon was found on the premises. "A witness had observed one of the men approaching with a shirt over his arm and hand which led some witnesses to believe he was carrying a gun," police elaborated in the statement. According to the police report, the two suspects entered the synagogue and were immediately confronted by staff who told them to leave. They refused and continued to walk past the staff.
Denying Jews the Right to Define Judaism is Anti-Semitism
In honor of this week’s 5th Global Forum for Combating Anti-Semitism, I’d like to propose a new definition of the term: Anti-Semitism is when Jews, alone of all the world’s religions, are denied the right to decide for themselves what their religion’s core tenets actually are. Nobody would dream of telling Christians that, for instance, their religion really has nothing to do with Jesus. Nobody would dream of telling Muslims that their religion really has nothing to do with the Koran. Yet a growing number of people seem to feel they have a perfect right to tell Jews that their religion really has nothing to do with being part of a nation. Thus you get people like Jannine Salman, a member of the Columbia University chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, blithely telling the New York Times last week that Jews have no call to feel their religion is under attack by strident anti-Zionists, because “There is a bifurcation: Zionism is a political identity, Judaism is a religious identity, and it does a disservice to both to blur the line.” And never mind that neither the Bible nor 4,000 years of Jewish tradition recognize any such bifurcation. Indeed, the concept of Judaism as a religious identity devoid of any national component is so foreign to the Bible that nowhere in it are Jews ever referred to as adherents of a “religion.” Rather, the most common Biblical terms for the Jews are bnei yisrael, the children of Israel, and am yisrael, the nation of Israel. The rough modern equivalents would be kin-group and kin-state, though neither captures the Biblical imperative that this particular kin-group and kin-state be committed to a particular set of laws and ideals.
The Biggest Mistakes Pro-Israel Advocates Make #4: How to Not Look Like A Total Jerk
I don’t think I know a pro-Israel advocate who hasn’t lost their marbles, threw off their kid gloves, and thought, “no more Mr. Nice Guy/Girl!” at least once. There are, after all, some pretty rabid antisemites and nutcases out there. However, the more seasoned, prominent pro-Israel activists I know are very professional and seldom if ever lash out at their opponents no matter how fed up they are. And when closed-minded nitwits refuse to listen to anything you have to say because, for example, you’re not their friend so they won’t trust you over their friend who is saying the opposite of what you are (or who claims his cousin’s best friend’s sister’s husband’s aunt’s house was destroyed in Gaza and she was only given five seconds’ warning to grab all her belongings so how dare I deny her lived experience), or because to them the fact that the Palestinians are the underdog and the Israelis are victorious necessarily means the Israelis are the oppressors of the Palestinians, sometimes you have to know when to quit. Case in point illustrating what not to do: calling people closed-minded nitwits. To their face, anyway. You can vent all you want when you go home to your husband or your best friend or your local Zionist World Domination Planning Committee meeting. When you start to feel like you’re talking to a brick wall despite your best efforts, when you start to realize that too much is at stake for the person you’re talking to should they decide to change their opinion for them to ever consider doing so, you need know when to stop what you’re doing. I even have friends whom I’ve been friends with since high school or earlier who are anti-Israel because they fell for the “Social Justice” anti-Israel rhetoric in university hook, line, and sinker, but they’re still my friends. I just gave up talking politics with them because I knew I would never get anywhere (not for lack of trying, through) and that any further attempts would only create friction between us. I have other friends who were more open-minded whom I was successfully able to convince. So your mileage may vary, but you have to know that when there are sparks – the first signs of a flame war on both sides – you sometimes have to put out the fire and just leave the building, otherwise you just burn down with it and all you’ll be left with are ashes.
Jewish Groups Protest Outside UJA over NIF Funding
A number of Jewish organizations banded together on Monday for a rally outside of UJA-Federation in protest of the UJA's promotion of organizations with ties to the Boycott Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement. Some 200 protestors carrying signs against the BDS movement, called on UJA to cease support for the New Israel Fund (NIF) as well as to bar the organization from marching in the Celebrate Israel Parade to be held in New York City later this month. The New Israel Fund has been found to finance organizations that promote BDS against Israel, as well other anti-Israel groups. Recently, Israeli grassroots organization Im Tirzu published a report tracing NIF funds to a Ramallah-based Palestinian organization that financed reports by Breaking the Silence and B’Tselem accusing the IDF of war crimes during Operation Protective Edge.
Petraeus: BDS Poses ‘Strategic Threat’ To Israel
Efforts by anti-Israel activists to boycott the Jewish state pose a “strategic threat” to the nation, according to former CIA head David Petraeus. The former intelligence chief warned about international efforts to promote the anti-Israel Boycott, Sanctions, and Divestment (BDS) movement and said they are just as dangerous as the threat posed by terrorists. “You see growing worries about the possibility of a so-called ‘international intifada,’ the boycott, divestment and sanction moves,” Petraeus was quoted as saying by the Times of Israel during a recent discussion in New York City. “That may be coming back to a strategic issue that has to be resolved at some point.” Petraeus also warned that a nuclear deal with Iran that will provide the Islamic Republic with billions in sanctions relief could open to door to an uptick international terrorism. “The lifting of sanctions will mean that Iran will have vastly more resources. It will be reconnected with the global economy,” he was quoted as saying. “It’s going to have a lot more resources to pursue mischief around the world and that concerns me.”
EU Amb. to Israel: Boycott? What boycott?
The slogan of Israel Science Day, held this year on May 12, is "Science is everywhere". In scores of events throughout the country, the general public, especially young people, will be exposed to lectures and demonstrations on how science affects all of us in our daily lives. Israel has good reason to be proud of its outstanding scientific achievements. However I wonder how many Israelis are aware of the important role that Europe has played in turning the ideas generated by Israel's excellent scientists into real research projects. The EU's cooperation with Israel in the field of science and technology took a giant leap forward in 1996, when Israel joined one of the EU's seven-year R&D Framework Programmes. It was raised to its highest level last year when Israel became associated to the EU's 80 billion euro Horizon 2020 program, the biggest research program in the world. To this day, Israel is the only non-European country in the world to be fully associated to such programs.
Israel preps media battlefield for next Hezbollah war
Much of the war against Israel is fought in the media and through deceptive “Non-Governmental Organizations” which issue endless distorted reports against Israel. There hardly is any pretense of objectivity anymore — there is an attempt to tie Israel’s hands when dealing with groups like Hamas and Hezbollah which strategically use civilians as shields. In Gaza, the media was intimidated by Hamas, and maintained a near-silence about the use of the main hospital in Gaza as a Hamas headquarters, and the firing of rockets from near schools, apartments and hospitals. But a few reports leaked out and some reporters admitted to the distorted reporting after leaving Gaza: This media war is important because one side (Hamas, Hezbollah) uses media outrage as a strategic weapon to shape the physical battlefield. And biased, agenda-driven NGOs and media organizations are part of the plan.
Jim Clancy’s Obsession With Hatin’ On Israel (Updated)
The last we heard from ex CNN anchor Jim Clancy, he had interviewed with Lebanon’s Daily Star, spreading his anti-Israel views. After Brian pointed this out, Clancy himself paid us a visit to deny he was disseminating anything anti-Israel. But judging by his twitter timeline, he is not just anti-Israel. He’s really anti-Israel. Here is but a sample of his recent tweets. Update: Since I posted this, Clancy has become even “less polite” with his hatred for Israel.
BBC News misrepresents BDS campaign yet again
The report includes a description of the adverts promoting BDS but fails to inform readers that they also featured a series of inaccurate maps frequently used in anti-Israel propaganda. Whether or not the BBC’s description of ‘Charlotte and Lizzie from Hellerup’ as “two Palestinian women” is in fact accurate is unclear. Clearly readers will be unable to comprehend the bus company’s decision to remove the adverts because, as usual, they are not informed of the aims of the political campaign promoted by the non-transparently funded ‘Danish-Palestinian Friendship Association’ – despite the fact that a link to the organisation’s website appears in the BBC’s report. Whilst the BDS campaign’s political crusade to bring about the demise of Jewish self-determination by means of delegitimisation and demonization is not infrequently directly or indirectly amplified in BBC programming, the corporation inevitably refrains from informing its audiences exactly for what its ‘one-stater’ supporters are campaigning.
Freed Al Jazeera Journo: Network an Arm of Qatar, Muslim Brotherhood
After spending 400 days in an Egyptian prison, an Al Jazeera English journalist is suing his network for $100 million dollars in damages, and has accused the Doha-run news organization of violating his contract. Mohamed Fahmy and two colleagues were thrown in jail after they were charged with being members of the Muslim Brotherhood, which is designated as a terrorist organization in many countries. He is currently free on bail while he awaits retrial for the charges. Fahmy now claims that the network is responsible for putting him in situations where it appeared as if he was a member of the Muslim Brotherhood. He claims that the news network acted as “an arm of Qatar’s foreign policy” and “was not only biased towards the Muslim Brotherhood — they were sponsors of the Muslim Brotherhood.” “Egypt put us three journalists on trial instead of punishing the network,” Fahmy said during a press conference in Cairo. “But I will not be as lenient as Egypt and I am here to announce that I will set the record straight and put Al Jazeera on trial in Canada’s top court.”
German court authorizes return of two Nazi-looted paintings
A German court formally authorized the return of two Nazi-looted artworks from the collection of the late art collector Cornelius Gurlitt. The paintings, among the most valuable of the more than 1,400 artworks discovered in Gurlitt’s home in Munich and later in a second home in Salzburg, Austria, can be retrieved this week by the heirs of the Jewish owners from whom they were stolen, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday following the decision by the Munich District Court. The court did not reveal the names of the owners of the artworks — Henri Matisse’s “Woman Sitting in an Armchair” and Max Liebermann’s “Two Riders on the Beach” — or the names of the heirs who will receive them, according to The Associated Press. The Wall Street Journal reported that the Libermann painting was stolen from David Friedmann, a German-Jewish collector who died in the early 1940s, and the Matisse was stolen in a Nazi raid on a bank vault in France belonging to Paul Rosenberg, a Jewish art dealer.
Unlike Portugal, Spain Sephardic citizenship plan hits snags
Spanish lawmakers are finally preparing this month to approve a law that potentially allows hundreds of thousands, and possibly millions, of Sephardic Jews around the world a shot at citizenship, though there are no reliable estimates of how many people might be eligible. A Spanish passport means those who get it would be able to live or work anywhere in the 28-nation European Union, and apply for citizenship for immediate family members. While some European nations are experiencing a surge in anti-immigration sentiment, Spain and Portugal are not, and the laws have not generated opposition. Many would-be applicants thought the Spanish law, announced in 2013, would carry few requirements beyond thorough vetting of ancestry. That’s the case with the Portuguese law, which was proposed after Spain’s but went into effect in March 1. But Spanish lawmakers ended up adding amendments making the process for Sephardic Jews similar to that faced by permanent residents seeking citizenship. The hurdles are significant: Sephardic applicants must learn and be tested in basic Spanish if they don’t speak one of several Jewish languages rooted in Spanish. They also must pass a current events and culture test about Spain. And they have to establish a modern-day link to Spain, which can be as simple as donating to a Spanish charity or as expensive as buying Spanish property. Paredes Henriquez — whose Spanish ancestors were driven into Portugal by the inquisition — predicted the extra steps would translate into more lost time, money and frustrating red tape. In Portugal, he only has to prove his family history and that he has never been convicted of a crime punishable by three or more years in prison.
Israeli researchers use supercooling to revolutionize delivery of drugs
A new Tel Aviv University study shows how the complex process of crystallization through supercooling could revolutionize the delivery of drugs in the human body, providing a way to “freeze” the drugs at an optimal time and location in the body. The new study, published in Scientific Reports, is the first to break down the rules governing the complex process of crystallization through rapid-cooling. According to the research, membranes can be engineered to crystallize at a specific time. “We describe a supercooled material as ‘metastable,’ meaning it is very sensitive to any external perturbation that may transform it back to its stable low-temperature state,” said Dr. Roy Beck of the Department of Physics at TAU’s School of Physics and Astronomy, who co-lead the study. “We discovered in our study that it is possible to control the process and harness the advantages of the fluid/not-fluid transition to design a precise and effective nanoscale drug encapsulating system.” The research was led jointly by Beck and Prof. Dan Peer of the Department of Cell Research and Immunology at TAU’s Faculty of Life Sciences, and conducted by TAU graduate students Guy Jacoby, Keren Cohen, and Kobi Barkai.
Israeli big data teaches farmers a cup of joe means better crops
Big data isn’t just for cybersecurity or mobile app developers. Farmers, too, can use it to increase their productivity, believes Ron Shani, CEO of ag-tech big data firm AKOL (Agricultural Knowledge Online). “Our platform lets users see exactly what to do to take care of crops, when to do it, and how much of it to do, in order to get the best results from their fields” – even if the thing they need to do is to drink a piping hot cup of coffee in the morning, said Shani. “For example,” said Shani, “we discovered that for farmers in Serbia, there was a definite connection between drinking coffee and farm productivity – that farmers who did not drink coffee first thing in the morning were not as productive as those who did.” Chinese agricultural authorities signed a deal last month with AKOL to use its “agricultural cloud” technology for fish farms. The AKOL system allows fish farmer operators to access in-depth information, gathered via sensors and analyzed on the system’s servers, that instructs them when to clean pools, how much and when to feed fish, etc.
Israel Increasingly Attractive for Chinese Academics, Investors, and Tourists
East China New University and the University of Haifa this month launched a joint Israeli-Chinese research center in Shanghai—the first center of its kind and the latest testament to the growing alignment between the two countries. As part of the venture, the Jerusalem Post reported, the research center will foster collaboration between Israeli and Chinese academics in the fields of computer science, mathematics, and more, and the two universities will also have a student exchange program. More broadly, Israel and China have been building broader strategic ties through special high-ranking delegations that have traveled between the two countries. On the economic front, China was Israeli’s fourth-most-popular destination for exports in the world, and the most popular among Asian countries, wrote Dr. Yoram Evron, a member of the academic staff at the University of Haifa’s Department of Asian Studies, for Yedioth Ahronoth. Chinese investments in Israel have grown to at least $4 billion in less than four years, while Chinese companies have been increasingly establishing infrastructure projects in Israel. The Jewish state recently applied to join China’s Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. According to Evron, “Beijing appreciates Israel’s stability and regional strategic importance and sees it as one of the regional central pillars in the foreseeable future,” particularly considering the instability in much of the rest of the Middle East.
Backyard unit eats trash to make biofuel
When UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon visited the sukkah of Israeli President Reuven Rivlin during the Jewish harvest holiday last October, he was treated to a demo of a machine the government has given to Bedouin families to convert organic waste into clean biogas for cooking, heating and lighting, as well as organic liquid crop fertilizer. “He got very excited and told us, ‘Millions of women and children die each year due to indoor smoke from open fires. This is just the thing they need. The UN should be purchasing these units!’ recalls Ami Amir of HomeBioGas, which develops and manufactures a new class of anaerobic biodigesters to convert organic waste to clean renewable energy. “He asked us to be in touch with the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization to see where and when our systems could be deployed,” the marketing director tells ISRAEL21c. The family-size TevaGas (TG) backyard units, available as an easy-to-assemble kit, generate safe energy and fertilizer through bacterial anaerobic digestion of organic waste such as food scraps and animal manure. They provide a sustainable solution for off-grid urban and rural families, as well as environmentally conscious homeowners and small farm owners, in warmer climates.
Hebrew University of Jerusalem announces plans for Einstein Museum
The planning of an Einstein Museum was announced by the Canadian Friends of the Hebrew University at a dinner hosted in Toronto Wednesday evening. The museum, along with three other Einstein-related initiatives, are in celebration of the centennial of Einstein's theory of relativity. The Einstein Museum will be the first institution dedicated to continuing the legacy of Albert Einstein, who co-founded the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and bequeathed to the university his entire estate. In addition to the museum, designer Ron Arad has been commissioned to create the world's first 3D printed book, featuring essays from leading opinion formers, Cosmic Pictures will produce an IMAX 3D film exploring the origins and meaning of Einstein's ideas, and the third annual "The Next Einstein" competition will soon get underway.
Jerusalem Day Statistics Reveal Israeli Capital’s Progress, But Room for Growth
May 17 marks Jerusalem Day (Yom Yerushalayim) in Israel, a national holiday commemorating the reunification of eastern and western Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War. In honor of this year’s holiday, Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics has released figures showing the growth and development of the Israeli capital in the last five decades, based on data collected from 2013-14. These key findings, as translated from Hebrew, reveal both the progress that the city has made and its room for additional growth. Here are the highlights: 1. Jerusalem is currently the largest city in Israel. At the end of 2013, Jerusalem’s population was 829,900. Sixty-three percent of the city’s residents were either Jews, non-Arab Christians, members of other faiths, or those not registered as belonging to any faith in Israel’s Ministry of the Interior. Thirty-seven percent were Arabs. The population of Jerusalem also grew by 14,600 residents in 2013. 2. Among the Jews living in Jerusalem, 35 percent define themselves as haredi, 18 percent as religious, 12 percent as traditional-religious, 14 percent as traditional-not very religious, and 20 percent as secular.
‘Mr. Sinatra Adored Israel, and Israel Adored Him Back.’
Sinatra’s initial visit to Israel came in 1962, as part of his first world tour. At the height of his popularity, his managers wanted him to embark on a series of concerts that would take him as far as Japan. Sinatra also had personal reasons for touring: His falling out with the recently elected JFK and the rest of the Kennedy clan, due to a combination of Sinatra’s volatile temper and allegations concerning the singer’s links to organized crime, hurt him deeply. Sinatra turned toward reviving his own career and stepped up his charitable work, which his managers hoped would “temper the image of the flip playboy.” In May and June of 1962 Sinatra gave 30 concerts in cities around the world. A percentage of the proceeds went to children’s charities. The tour began in Tokyo, where legions of fans turned out see and hear the singer. Because Israel appeared on Sinatra’s schedule, the Arab League rejected proposals that he perform in Cairo and Beirut. Israel—and the response to European persecution that it embodied—was a deeply personal cause for Sinatra. He was born and brought up in an Italian-American enclave in Hoboken, New Jersey; his grandparents had emigrated to the United States from Italy in the 1890s, and the anti-immigrant bigotry they faced in turn-of-the-century New York still lingered in Frank’s childhood in the 1920s. He told his friend Pete Hamill that “growing up, I would hear the stories … things that happened because you were Italian … the stories were there. The warnings, the prejudice you heard about it at home, in the barbershop, on the corner. You never heard about in school. But it was there.” These experiences of prejudice made the young Sinatra aware of other forms of bigotry, including anti-Semitism. And there were Jewish connections in his Hoboken childhood. Among his caretakers (Frank’s mother worked often outside of the home) was a Mrs. Golden. She spoke to him only in Yiddish, and in his adulthood Sinatra often joked that he “knew more Yiddish than Italian.” For decades Sinatra wore a Jewish star pendant that Mrs. Golden had given him.
At the very end, the article mentions that some charities have resorted to opening up accounts directly at the Gaza banks rather than transferring the funds from foreign banks, because many of their accounts were shut down.
