From Ian:
Melanie Phillips: Real liberals must shun Palestinian colonialism
This is because Western progressives inhabit a grotesque universe of mirrors, created by viewing the world through an ideological prism which casts the West as inescapably oppressive and the developing world as its blameless victims.
Crucially, they also see themselves as innately virtuous while everyone who does not view the world through this distorting prism is damned as irredeemably hateful, bigoted and evil.
This, however, is the progressives’ Achilles’ heel. For if they themselves are shown to be supporting actual racism and colonialism, their supposed place on the moral high ground crumbles into dust and they are left with nowhere else to go.
Publicly calling them out in this way for betraying their supposed ideals would bring further benefits. For others would be listening whose minds are not hermetically sealed through ideology or malice.
Those people have no knowledge of the Middle East or Jewish history. They have no idea that the Jews are the only indigenous people of the Land of Israel who are still around; no idea that the Arabs are the historic occupiers; no idea that Israel’s “occupation” is nothing of the kind and that the “settlements” are lawful. They have no idea because no one has ever told them.
The delegitimization of Israel rests on the hijacking of the language so that victims are turned into oppressors and vice versa. We must now reclaim the language for truth and justice.
Palestinian colonialism means the Palestine cause is one that liberals must condemn and shun. Conversely, “progressives” who support Palestinian colonial conquest and the ethnic cleansing of the Jews from their historic homeland are nothing of the kind. It’s time to start letting them know. (h/t Elder of Lobby)
Admiral Stavridis: The U.S. Should Form a Closer Military Alliance with Israel
Perhaps the most important area of potential cooperation is in the world of cybersecurity. Israeli intelligence gathering is superb, and the integration of the Israeli military with the nation’s robust private-sector security firms is nearly seamless. Israel is also ahead of the U.S. in bringing advancements from the private sector into public hands; the brightest people constantly flow between the military and civilian spheres.
A second zone of potentially enhanced cooperation is in technology and innovation. While we have jointly worked on a variety of defense projects over the years (like the Arrow, which is anti-ballistic-missile technology), this is an area in which we could enhance each other’s efforts considerably. In addition to missile defense, doing more together in advanced avionics (as we did with the F-15), miniaturization (like Israel’s small airborne-warning aircraft) and the production of low-cost battlefield unmanned vehicles (both air and surface) would yield strong results.
Third, we should up our game in terms of intelligence cooperation. The Israeli military and the associated Israeli intelligence services Mossad, Aman and Shin Bet are the best in the Middle East. Working together, they have been ahead of our more segregated sectors on a wide range of trends, including the disintegration of Syria, the events in Egypt and the military and nuclear capability of Iran. Here we need a more open exchange of information between our two countries (especially human intelligence from Israel and overhead sensor data from the U.S.). More liaison officers between military and intelligence commands would help, as would more frequent conferences and dialogue on principles.
Finally, within the opaque world of special forces, we have a great deal we could share with each other. Having the U.S. Special Operations Command constantly operating with Israeli commandos would be of enormous benefit to both forces. Both are expert in battlefield intelligence collection, use of unmanned vehicles, sniper technology and a host of other specialized skills. Setting up a joint special-forces training and innovation center for special operations in Israel would be powerful.
The motto of the crack Israeli paratrooper brigade is simple: “Acharai,” which translates to “Follow me.” The saying stems from the custom of Israeli commanders’ directly leading their troops into battle, even at the most senior levels. For the U.S. in the complex Middle East, we would be well served to follow the Israeli military’s advice on a range of key issues. And likewise, they would benefit greatly from further intelligence, technology and partnership with the U.S. It truly is a case of two nations that are unarguably stronger together–let’s build on what we have to get to the next level.
Former Porn Star, Jewish Convert Jenna Jameson Defends Israel, Blasts ‘Non-Existant Palestine,’ Islam on Twitter
Former porn star Jenna Jameson will not be deterred from expressing support for Israel despite the abusive messages she has been receiving on Twitter for the past few days, she told The Algemeiner on Thursday.
“The antisemitic comments don’t hurt me whatsoever; all they do is educate my followers and the public about how antisemitism runs rampant on social media,” said Jameson, who finished her conversion to Judaism in 2016. “So by attacking my faith, you prove my plight. I welcome the hateful debates, because I am informed on the Torah due to my recent Orthodox conversion. I’ve been a warrior all my life. Now I am applying my strength to defending the Jewish people and Israel.”
The mother-of-two, with a third on the way, has been flooding her Twitter page not only with support for the Jewish state, but with posts against “Palestine,” which she says does not exist. “Israel was promised to the Jewish people [by] G-d,” she wrote. “Don’t Arabs have enough land? They target the one free-thinking democracy and want to turn it into a wasteland”…”Why does ‘Palestine’ want to drive all Jews into the sea? Why do they want to take over what the Jews have built and ethnically cleanse?”
Jameson, whose husband is Israeli, also defended the IDF, in response to a Twitter user who accused Israeli soldiers of killing “innocent” Palestinians. “I don’t believe in Hamas launching rockets daily at Israel. They made their bed, now they can lie in it…Innocence is relative,” she wrote.
Palestinian Rep Says She Rejects Theocracies, but She’s Funded by Them
A leading Palestinian spokesperson is telling American television audiences that she rejects the concept of Islamic countries — but an investigation by JNS.org has found that the largest donors to the organization she heads are self-described Islamic countries.
The controversy began with a December 27 CNN appearance by Dr. Hanan Ashrawi, who has served as a spokesperson for the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Palestine Liberation Organization for more than two decades.
CNN anchor Don Lemon asked Ashrawi whether the Palestinians are willing “to recognize Israel as a Jewish state.” Ashrawi replied, “If you want to give religion to states, that is against our principles. I don’t recognize Islamic states, Christian states, Jewish states. A state is a state for all its citizens.”
Ashrawi’s statement appears to conflict with the wording of the PA’s own “Constitution of Palestine,” adopted in 2003. Article 4(1) of that document states, “Islam is the official religion in Palestine,” and article 4(2) states, “The principles of Islamic sharia shall be the main source of legislation.”
In response to a request by JNS.org for clarification, Ashrawi responded that Islam was made the official religion of “Palestine” solely “for technical reason — holidays, contractual issues, etc.” She also asserted that the PA constitution “states that Islam is the official religion IN Palestine, which is quite different from saying that Palestine is an Islamic state.” Ashrawi added that while Islamic sharia law is “the main source” of legislation for the PA, it is “not the source of legislation.”
Israeli Coordination with Arab States Isn’t New. Talking about It Is
Much has been made of the recent high-level contacts between Israel and Sunni Arab states, including those with which it has no formal relations. But such contacts have been fairly common since the 1990s, even if largely unacknowledged. What is new, writes David Pollock, is the public debate about the subject in the Arabic media:
Particularly noteworthy . . . is a long article in the current issue of the popular and influential pan-Arab weekly al-Majalla, based in London but widely circulated and read in both print and online editions [throughout the Middle East]. This article not only reviews the long history of Arab-Israeli relations, but also cites statements [on the subject] by the Israeli ambassador to the United States Ron Dermer at great length.
Responses [to this article] by Saudi writers are mixed, but some are very vocally in favor of dealing with Israel. . . . Among Egyptian writers, the idea of regular dealings with Israel still excites fierce debate, even after nearly four decades of official peace. . . . [But] even some Egyptian writers and academics most critical of ties to Israel acknowledge that the younger generation, turned against Iran, Hamas, and the Muslim Brotherhood both by their own experience and by their government’s changing positions, is losing some of its animosity toward [the Jewish state]. . . .
Israeli Seriously Wounded in Berlin Truck-Ramming Attack Regains Consciousness to Learn Beloved Wife Killed; Has ‘Difficulty Picking Up the Pieces’
The Israeli who was seriously wounded in the truck-ramming attack on an outdoor Christmas market in Berlin last month regained consciousness this week, only to discover that his wife had been killed, the Hebrew news site Walla reported on Thursday.
Speaking for the first time since the incident from his hospital bed in Germany, Rami Elyakim — whose wife, Dalia, 60, was missing for a number of days after the terrorist attack, and was subsequently determined to be among the 12 dead – said he is having a hard time picking up the pieces of his life. Though he said he remembers nothing of the attack itself, he bemoaned the fact that he is now faced with cancelling the next trip that he and his wife had planned to take in the near future.
“Dalia was the love of my life,” he said. “She really was an extraordinary woman.”
He also expressed amazement – along with outraged family members — to hear a rumor that Israel’s National Insurance Institute will not recognize Aliza as a victim of terrorism, but rather as a casualty of a vehicular accident.
Rami’s brother, Ofer Elyakim, complained to Walla that the Israeli authorities have been ignoring Dalia’s case. “No government representative attended her funeral,” he said. “Nobody has taken an interest in whether her insurance is valid. For two weeks, we have been sitting in Berlin at [Rami’s] bedside, and nobody — other than President Reuven Rivlin — has seen fit to take any sort of interest.”
Regavim petition led to demolition of illegal Arab structures
The Civil Administration demolished Wednesday five tents and eight water reservoirs which were constructed without legal permits near the community of Tekoa in the Etzion Bloc (Gush Etzion) south of Jerusalem in response to a petition by the Regavim movement last November.
The movement, which maintains strict surveillance of illegal Arab construction, welcomed the enforcement actions in the Tekoa region and explained that this is a particularly strategic area for the State of Israel.
Over the past year the movement submitted two petitions to the High Court against illegal construction in the Tekoa region - one regarding an illegal road paved using international funding connecting the Arab villages near Tekoa to the Dead Sea. The road was intentionally paved by the Palestinian Authority in the only region where Israel could pave a connecting road between the Etzion Bloc and the Dead Sea.
The second petition was submitted in November 2016 and referred to illegal construction near the aforementioned road with the intention of turning it into an inhabited area which could then de facto be transferred into the hands of the PA, although it is in Area C under Israeli jurisdiction.
Haifa shooter turns himself in; possible terror motive suspected
The suspect in two separate Haifa shootings, that left one dead and one seriously injured, turned himself in Thursday evening, more than 24 hours after the incident.
Earlier on Thursday, the body of Guy Kafari, 47, who was killed in the shooting on Tuesday was laid to rest in Moshav Ofer. Kafari was killed and Yechiel Illouz, 48, a judge on the Haifa Rabbinical Court was seriously injured in the pair of shootings, which shook the coastal city.
On Thursday police raided an abandoned home in the neighborhood of Halisa, searching for the suspect. According to multiple Hebrew media reports, police suspect nationalistic motivations for the shootings. A Coastal District Police spokesman confirmed that the police have identified a suspect, however, declined to comment on the investigation stating that “all leads are being investigated”.
The first shooting occurred at approximately 9:30 a.m. on Ha’atzma’ut street, where Rabbi Yechiel Illouz, was seriously injured after being shot multiple times and was evacuated to the Rambam Medical Center. The police were attempting to locate the gunman when a second shooting occurred on Hagiborim Street around 10:20 a.m. Kafari, 47, was fatally wounded and pronounced dead on the scene by Magen David Adom medics.
Hamas willing to negotiate Israelis’ release, if 60 prisoners freed — report
The Hamas terror group is reportedly willing to negotiate the release of two Israeli civilians and the remains of two IDF soldiers held in the Gaza Strip, if Israel releases 60 of the organization’s members from prison as a precondition to talks.
The Gaza-based group is currently holding the remains of IDF soldiers Staff Sgt. Oron Shaul and Lt. Hadar Goldin, who the army says were killed in the 2014 Gaza war, and is also believed to be detaining Avraham Mengistu and Juma Ibrahim Abu Anima, two Israeli men who crossed into Gaza on their own accord.
The Hamas terror group has long demanded Israel first release hundreds of Palestinians who were rearrested after they were freed in the 2011 Shalit deal before it would even enter into negotiations with Israel over a prisoner exchange.
According to a report in the Al-Araby Al-Jadeed newspaper, senior Hamas official Moussa Abu Marzouk discussed a prisoner swap with Egyptian officials last week, according to a translation Friday by Israel Radio.
Israeli satellite spots launchers for Russian nuclear-capable missiles in Syria
Russia has placed advanced surface-to-surface ballistic missiles in Syria, according to an Israelli satellite imaging company, which published satellite photos of the missile-launchers on Friday.
ImageSat International said its EROS B satellite captured photos of two vehicle-mounted SS-26 “Iskander” missile launchers in northern Syria. The launchers are located in the Syrian army’s Latakia airbase. Two other launchers had also been spotted at the base, it said.
The Iskander is a mid-range missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads, with a range of 400-500 kilometers.
According to the Ynet news website, Russia has previously considered providing Iskander missiles to the Syrian President Bashar Assad, but has refrained from doing so due to Israeli concerns. The weaponry seen in the newly released photos is apparently controlled by Russian forces operating in Syria, and has not been handed over to Assad’s forces.
Amnesty: Iraq's Shiite Militias Using U.S. Weapons to Commit War Crimes
The predominantly Shiite Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) has been using weapons provided by the United States, Europe, Russia, and Iran to commit war crimes in Iraq, according to the human rights watchdog Amnesty International.
The list of war crimes includes abductions, torture, and killings, committed by the PMU and other militias fighting alongside the Iraqi military against the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL).
Patrick Wilcken, researcher on arms control and human rights at Amnesty International, declared:
The [U.S.-backed] Iraqi authorities have helped to arm and equip the PMU militias and pay their salaries – they must stop turning a blind eye to this systematic pattern of serious human rights violations and war crimes.
Any militiamen fighting shoulder to shoulder with the Iraqi military must be thoroughly and rigorously vetted. Those suspected of committing serious violations must be removed from their ranks, pending judicial investigations and prosecutions. Unaccountable and unruly militias must be either truly brought into the fold and discipline of the armed forces, or disarmed and demobilized completely.
In farewell remarks, Kerry boasts about Iran deal
Outgoing U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry touted the administration's efforts to curb Iran's nuclear program Thursday, saying the July 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran was "the most rigorous inspection regime that has ever been negotiated."
Kerry, who spoke with reporters in what was his final press conference before he leaves office on Jan. 20, said the deal, known as the The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, "has made the world and our allies safer, including Israel and the Gulf states." According to Kerry, "refusing to negotiate at all, which some advocated, would have left us with two very bad choices: the short-term risk of a nuclear-armed Iran, and yet another conflict in the Middle East. And to be clear -- to be crystal clear -- terminating that agreement now would leave us with those same bad choices."
Also on Thursday, the U.S. State Department published a lengthy document authored by Kerry wrapping up his tenure as America's chief diplomat. The document, called "Exit memo from Secretary Kerry to President Obama" mentioned Kerry's efforts to bring Israel and Palestinians closer together.
Lauding ‘Liberation’ of Aleppo as Major Defeat for United States, Top Iranian Commander Boasts Tehran’s ‘Self-Sufficiency’ in Production of Missiles, Aircraft
Lauding the recent “liberation” of Aleppo as a major defeat for the West in general and the United States in particular, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force boasted about Iran’s prowess in the field of missile and aircraft design and production, the regime-aligned news agency Tasnim reported.
In a speech on Thursday, Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh claimed that great strides had been made in the Islamic Republic’s self-sufficient military capabilities, stressing that its efforts and know-how were born out of a need to confront enemy threats, which it takes very seriously. According to Tasnim, Hajizadeh also claimed that all of Tehran’s moves on the this score have been “defensive in nature.”
As The Algemeiner reported in early December, however, in a similar story on Hajizadeh’s highlighting of Iran’s military advances, Tehran’s semi-official state news agency Fars reminded readers of the IRGC’s testing in March of long-range missiles, one of which was adorned with the Hebrew message: “Israel should be wiped off the earth.”
That report came amid daily threats from the Iranian regime to “retaliate” if US President Barack Obama approves the bill that Congress passed to extend the Iran Sanctions Act for an additional 10 years.
Sasha, Malia Negotiate Allowance Increase By Taking White House Staff Hostage (satire)
Sasha and Malia Obama, the daughters of the outgoing US president, followed Iran’s league in dealing with their father by holding Americans hostage and making demands, all of which the president granted.
The Obama girls successfully concluded negotiations with the president earlier this week after securing a 200% increase in their weekly allowance, using the leverage of four White House staff members held at knifepoint. Once the workers were released Tuesday morning, Secretary of State John Kerry thanked Sasha and Malia for taking such good care of their guests. Malia explicitly acknowledged the influence of Iran’s behavior in the girls’ decision to use hostage-taking as their strategy.
“Dad can be firm, but we’ve figured out how he works, so this was basically a cinch,” she explained. “Sasha and I hatched the plan a few weeks ago when we realized Dad always shrinks from confrontation with forces that present a clear and present danger, such as Iran and Russia. We knew going in that he would give us everything we asked for if we held out long enough and demonstrated our seriousness.”
Analysts noted other close parallels between the First Daughters’ approach and the ongoing attitude of Iran to Obama. “In both cases the president actually wants to give as much as possible to the offending party,” observed Jeffrey Goldberg, “but the optics of the situation don’t allow for direct granting of everything the other party wants. In the case of Sasha and Malia, Obama obviously wants to give his little girls whatever they desire, but he looks like a bad parent who spoils his kids if he just provides everything automatically. And in the case of Iran, he wants to cede Middle East hegemony to them at whatever cost, even the weakening and possible destruction of major allies in the region, but it has to look like the whole thing is the result of a considered policy with mutual benefits – all while Iran does what it wants anyway and suffers no adverse consequences.”
French politicians mark two years since Charlie Hebdo, Hyper Cacher attacks
French politicians and community leaders on Thursday marked the two year anniversary since an attack on a Paris Jewish supermarket killed four shoppers.
The January 9, 2015 attack at the Hyper Cacher in eastern Paris came two days after terrorists killed 12 at the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and a day after a police officer was killed by the same Islamist gunman, Amedy Coulibaly, who stormed the market.
Yoav Hattab, Phillipe Barham, Yohan Cohen, and François-Michel Saada were killed in the siege at the Hyper Cacher market. All four were buried in Jerusalem.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo and French Interior Minister Bruno Le Roux on Thursday laid wreaths at the sites of the killings and sang the French national anthem, Reuters reported.
“It’s still important to remember, it’s still important to salute the work done by the security forces who intervened, and it’s still important to show the families, those who are still suffering, that we haven’t forgotten what happened, we haven’t forgotten those who were left behind,” Le Roux said following the ceremonies, according to Reuters.
Anti-Semitic British Labour councillor reinstated
A councillor from Britain’s Labour party who was suspended after being accused of sharing blood libels online and for saying Israeli Jews should “relocate” to America has been readmitted to the party, the British Jewish News reported on Wednesday.
The councillor, Ilyas Aziz from Nottingham, tweeted on December 31, “Can resume my Labour Party activities now that my suspension lifted. Thanks to all who stood by me in difficult times.”
Aziz, a supporter of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, implied in a Facebook post in 2014 that Israelis should “stop drinking Gaza’s blood,” which he allegedly retweeted from a Muslim youth group.
He has also compared the actions of Israelis towards Palestinian Arabs to the actions of Nazis towards Jews, and said Jews in the Middle East could move to the U.S.
“Jews and Muslims lived together in the Middle East, in peace pre 1948. Perhaps it would have been wiser to create Israel in America it’s big enough,” he wrote. “They could relocate even now.”
Aziz was suspended after these posts were exposed by the Guido Fawkes political blog.
Jewish Student Activists in UK Say Umbrella Organization Must Stop ‘Wrongly Dismissing,’ Apologizing for Antisemitism on Campus
Jewish students in the UK are calling on the country’s leading Jewish student group to stop “wrongly dismissing” antisemitism on college campuses and fulfill its “commitment to not be ‘apologetic in the face of abuse.’”
In an oped in Britain’s Jewish Chronicle, Jonathan Hunter, co-founder of the Pinsker Center for Zionist Education, and Shlomo Roiter-Jesner, a Cambridge University student who was the target of an antisemitic attack, wrote that they were “surprised and bewildered” to witness Union of Jewish Students (UJS) Campaigns Director Josh Nagli downplay racism against Jews on college campuses in their response to recent claims by parliamentarian Baroness Ruth Deech that this was, in fact, an increasing trend.
According to Nagli, Deech’s warnings that Jewish students are avoiding certain universities due to their antisemitic atmoshphere do a “disservice,” are “inflammatory” and “frankly wrong.” Citing statistics from a 2011 National Jewish Student Survey, Nagli argued, “Antisemitism is not rife at universities.”
The UJS campaigns director, Hunter and Roiter-Jesner wrote, “not only misconstrued Baroness Deech’s comments, but went so far as to completely contradict all statistics,” such as how 42 percent of Jewish students were either witness to or targets of an antisemitic incident.
Israeli Embassy in Ireland Slams Upcoming Conference Exploring Elimination of Jewish State as ‘Incompatible With Democratic Values, Academic Discussion’
A representative from the Israeli Embassy in Ireland responded harshly on Wednesday to news of a planned university conference exploring the elimination of the Jewish state.
Referring to “International Law and the State of Israel: Legitimacy, Exceptionalism and Responsibility” — hosted by University College Cork (UCC) — the representative said it was “incompatible with the values of democracy and goes against the essence of academic discussion.”
Furthermore, the Embassy slammed the organizers of the conference for “promoting an unbalanced agenda within academic institutions that seeks to demonize and delegitimize Israel.”
“The prejudiced approach of such activists serves only to propagate hatred of the state and its people,” the spokesperson told The Algemeiner.
The conference has also aroused the ire of various Jewish and pro-Israel groups across Ireland, who sharply criticized UCC’s decision to host the event.
A spokesman from the Jewish Representative Council of Ireland called the event “an anti-Israel hate-fest,” adding, “Experience has shown that where a narrative aimed at the destruction of the Jewish state is allowed to flourish, antisemitism follows.”
UK antisemitism scholar concerned that antisemitism definition may stifle Israel criticism
Professor David Feldman is the Director of the Pears Institute for the Study of Antisemitism in London – the only such academic institute in the UK.
You would think that such an augustly and precisely named body would be part of the solution to the rising incidence of anti-semitism in the UK wouldn’t you ….
Well you’d be wrong. It’s part of the problem. The Institute sees nothing wrong with hosting Israel traducers such as Jacqueline Rose who makes anti-semitic comparisons between Jews and Nazis. In an interview in 2005, Rose said:
“It seems to me that the suffering of a woman on the edge of the pit with her child during the Nazi era, and a Palestinian woman refused access to a hospital through a checkpoint and whose unborn baby dies as a result, is the same”.
And in June 2013 this infelicitously named Institute organised a conference on boycotts, unbelievably featuring two would-be boycotters – John Chalcraft of LSE and Philip Marfleet of University of East London.
French supermarket apologizes for ‘made in Israeli settlement’ labels
Following complaints, a French supermarket store apologized for applying labels reading “made in Israeli settlements” to some of its products.
The labels that appeared last month on pomegranates and Tangerines at the store belonging to the Auchan supermarket chain in the Paris suburb of Kremlin-Bicêtre were the result of a “an error” by an employee, a spokesperson for the chain told the National Bureau for Vigilance Against Anti-Semitism.
The bureau, a nonprofit known by its acronym of BNVCA, queried the store along with Bernard Musicant, an activist for the pro-Israel Urgency Collective group, regarding the labels, according to the Actualite Juive newspaper.
In November, the French Economy Ministry’s General Directorate for Competition, Consumption and Fraud Prevention published an advisory circular requiring retailers use the word “colonies,” French for “settlements,” to specify goods originating in Israeli settlements in the Golan Heights, the West Bank and eastern Jerusalem, which Israel captured in 1967.
In 2015, the European Commission adopted binding regulation requiring such labeling. However, the commission has no recourse against countries that don’t apply the regulations and no lawsuit has been brought to date against a vendor who declined to apply them. France’s major supermarket chains apply no special labeling for settlement goods.
'No Jews Allowed' Accompanies Swastika-Like Symbols Found in Stanford Campus Area
Swastika-like symbols were discovered at five separate locations on the Stanford University campus, San Francisco news website The Mercury News reported.
According to the report, graffiti was part of a spate of a total of 10 cases of antisemitic vandalism in the vicinity of the school, including in residential areas.
Police concluded that though the symbols were drawn incorrectly — with the lines turning in the wrong direction — they were intended to mimic the Nazi insignia, because one of them was accompanied by the words: “No Jews allowed.”
Bill Larson, public information officer for Stanford’s Department of Public Safety, told Mercury News that the first reports of the swastikas were received late last week, though the exact date is not clear — “since the university [was] on winter break closure [from] December 21st until [Wednesday].”
The anti-Jewish graffiti at Stanford is part of a wider phenomenon.
Shilling for Islamic Terrorists
In the immediate aftermath of the bloodbath perpetrated by Palestinian terrorists, the Institute for Palestine Studies showcased a star-studded cast of Palestinian terrorist sympathizers posing as scholars. Without the slightest acknowledgement of the murder of Jewish innocents that hung in the shadow of the event, the panel lamented the “criminalization” of pro-Palestinian activism.
Prior to the seminar, a pleasant older woman initiated a conversation with me. She is from “Palestine” and is in the U.S. visiting her children. One of her sons moved to Lebanon years ago to join the PLO. He’s been “missing” since the Lebanese civil war in 1976. However, she and all her children are “very active” in the Palestinian cause. Her “geography” and “religion” require it.
In an audience packed with pro-Palestinian activists, held at SEIU headquarters in Washington, DC, a panel on the “Legal Assault on Palestinian Rights Activism” began. It was moderated by Rashid Khalidi, an activist of Palestinian descent, whose views are so skewed that the ADL accused him of manipulating history and distorting reality to the point where it is “unrecognizable.” His views on Palestine go well beyond mere support for “oppressed” Palestinians. In past talks, he identified with the PLO so strongly that he repeatedly included himself by stating “we” when discussing the PLO’s agenda. But that didn’t stop Columbia University from making him the head of its Middle East studies division and giving him a professorship teaching classes to unwitting students. Not surprisingly, Khalidi is also good friends with President Barack Obama.
Khalidi started the two hour seminar by asserting that “those who oppose Palestinian rights have a hard time when the story gets out. No one wants to be an advocate of colonization, unequal rights and oppression.” The pro-Palestinian view is exploding in churches, unions, and most of all, on college campuses. According to Khalidi, it is only “ignorance”, “disinformation and misinformation” that leads Americans to hold a “Zionist viewpoint.”
Fighting back against the UN anti-Israel vote; public protest planned for Toronto
Goldi Steiner and Irving Weisdorf are co chairs of Canadians for Balfour 100, a new organization that aims to obliterate the web of lies and propaganda that demonizes and delegitimates Israel. “Is 2334 legally binding? “they query. “No, even though Israel’s enemies will construe it as such.” What it does do they say is “muddy the waters. It is mischievous and counter- productive and blatantly anti- Semitic.”
According to them, the truth is that Judea and Samaria are legal under international law. Israel a possesses valid title over all the land west of the Jordan River, in an act of international law detailed in the Mandate for Palestine in l922 and incorporated in Article 80 into the UN Charter. Resolution 2334 goes against article 80 and is not legally binding. The Arabs have been the aggressor every time. They began more than five major wars, political and economic boycotts and continuous incitement to hatred and violence, inculcating even their youngest children. Yes there was an occupation – in l948, when two invading Arab armies, Jordan in the West Bank and Egypt in Gaza – occupied territory that they took by acts of violence.
Renanah Gemeiner, one of the organizers of the protest demonstrations had this to say: “The world has been trying to take the Jewish homeland away from the Jews for thousands of years. Before and during WW2, Britain, bound by international law to facilitate Jewish immigration, blocked entry to (then) Palestine, to 6 million doomed Jews, who had nowhere else to go. At the same time they allowed massive illegal Arab immigration. The occupation lie is a continuation of the West’s collusion with Jihad against the Jewish people.”
Torontonians are outraged and will not take this in silence. Two demonstrations to protest the UN resolution and Obama’s collusion are planned. Both will take place on University Ave. across the road from the US Consulate.
On Thursday January 12th, noon -1:30: The organizers have titled it There is no “Occupation”: Only the Jewish People have Biblical, Historical, Legal, National Rights in Israel.
On Sunday January 15, the Occupation Lie demonstration will include the plight of the Yezidis and other non Muslim minorities in Northern Iraq, targeted by ISIS for genocide and virtually ignored by the UN and the West.
VIDEO: Columbia Students Asked if They Support Female Genital Mutilation. Their Responses Are Disturbing.
AFDI reporter Laura Loomer went on campus to ask Columbia students if they would support Planned Parenthood funding FGM. Of the 20 students asked, only one unequivocally condemned FGM. Most students contended the ritual was all about "choice," completely missing the misogyny attached to the practice young girls and women are pressured into. Most disturbingly, one student argued that age was no issue.
"Regardless of their age?" Loomer followed up, after the student condoned the practice of FGM.
"Oh, absolutely," he answered.
Regardless of their age. Let that sink in.
Watch the AFDI video, below:
BBC Arabic reports death of gun-running priest in partisan terminology
The death of Capucci was also reported the previous day on the BBC Arabic website. In that report readers were told that Capucci had been imprisoned for four years rather than two.bbc-arabic-capucci-art
A review of the article by a professional translator shows that – not for the first time – BBC Arabic reported the story using terminology which does not meet the BBC’s supposed standards of impartiality: the politicised language employed is of the type promoted by terror organisations and anti-Israel campaigners.
In the article’s second paragraph Jerusalem as a whole is described as “the occupied city of Jerusalem” and readers are told that Capucci “was arrested by the Israeli occupation forces on charges of supporting the Palestinian resistance…”.
The Concerned Reader’s Guide to Middle East Reporting Clichés (satire)
Does Middle East reporting leave you dumbfounded, baffled and befuddled? Us too! It certainly doesn’t help that most articles are as overrun with clichés such as, Syria is with “moderate rebels”. As a service to our long-suffering readers, The Mideast Beast presents the guide that takes a buzzsaw to the buzzwords.
All options are on table – The following options are on the table: giving fiery speeches, expressing disappointment, letting Putin handle it, ignoring the problem and hoping it goes away.
Arab Spring – An Arab season characterized by rising temperatures. And then the temperatures just keep rising and rising and everyone dies while you scream, “That’s not what we meant!” A microcosm for global warming.
Boots on the ground – American military tactic consisting of literally dropping boots on enemy combatants from the air. Surprisingly effective.
Closing in – Retreating in panic. Usage: “Iraqi militias are closing in on the ISIS-controlled city.” “The negotiating parties are closing in on a peaceful resolution.”
Conservative moderates – Any Middle Eastern group producing more oil barrels than decapitated heads.
Moderate conservatives – see Radical terrorists.
Proxy war – A conflict between two regional sides that are backed by remote and powerful shadow entities. Every Middle Eastern conflict since 1263 has been a proxy war between MSNBC and Fox News.
Radical terrorists – Yesterday’s conservative moderates, tomorrow’s historical allies.
Sectarian conflict – A war between two groups so similar in every way that neither can tolerate the existence of the other. Examples: Sunni v. Shia, Yankees v. Red Sox, Tupac v. Biggie.
War on terror – A phonetic distortion of “warrant error”, i.e. an error in deciding that force is warranted.
Antisemitism in Australia in 2016: Why Does the Malignancy Persist?
Julie Nathan is the Research Officer for the Executive Council of Australian Jewry.
The annual Report on Antisemitism in Australia for 2016 has been released by the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ), the elected representative national body of the Australian Jewish community.
The ECAJ Report records antisemitism in two broad categories: incidents and discourse.
Perpetrators
For the first time, the report includes information on the ethnic composition of the perpetrators of some types of antisemitic incidents. Of the 91 incidents of assault and abuse in Sydney and Melbourne, there were 43 incidents where the ethnicity of the perpetrator(s) was identified in the reporting of the incident. This information was counted and noted. Many incidents had multiple perpetrators. Assault and abuse in other states were excluded.
The result is that of the 72 perpetrators whose ethnicity was logged, these were composed of 34 Caucasian, 31 Middle Eastern, 5 Maori/Polynesian and 2 African. In terms of percentage, 47% of the perpetrators were Caucasian, 43% Middle Eastern and 61% "Other."
However, the breakdown between Sydney and Melbourne tells a different story. In Sydney, it comprised Caucasian (17 perpetrators) at 39%, and Middle Eastern (22 perpetrators) at 51%. In Melbourne, it comprised Caucasian (17 perpetrators) at 58%, and Middle Eastern (9 perpetrators) at 31%. In both Sydney and Melbourne, "Other" comprised 10%.
Racist Plans ‘James Earl Ray Extravaganza’ March on MLK Day in Whitefish, Montana, and Invites Hamas
By now I imagine you may have read about a young, hate-peddling man named Andrew Anglin, who runs a neo-Nazi website that publishes denigrating things about nonwhite groups of people, like Jews and Muslims and African Americans. Anglin, who believes that Jews are an “international threat” (a term that is maybe his nicest), recently made waves when he told his readers to take action against the Jewish residents of Whitefish, Montana, who have been protesting white supremacists in the area. So when the mother of alt-right leader Richard Spencer claimed the actions of anti-hate groups in the area had caused her to business to suffer, Anglin told his readers to “TAKE ACTION” against the town’s Jewish population—a “vicious, evil race of hate-filled psychopaths.”
Then, likely from the comfort of some café with decent Wi-Fi, Anglin talked of a march in Whitefish in defense of Spencer’s mother and “against Jews, Jewish businesses, and everyone who supports either. We will be busing in skinheads from the Bay Area.” (Spencer called the march a “joke,” and then tried to offer closure but this sure comes across as anything but, e.g. “I will punch back.”) Now, Anglin has filed paperwork with a date (MLK Day, Jan. 16) for an armed march in Whitefish, calling it the “James Earl Ray Day Extravaganza”—an homage to the man who assassinated Martin Luther King, Jr. (Montana is an open-carry state.)
So what began as a hateful (yet perfectly legal) march against Jews has now been expanded, apparently, to involve a demonstration against African Americans, too. Anglin has also promised that “a representative of Hamas will be in attendance, and will give a speech about the international threat of the Jews.”
Suspects arrested in vandalism of Jewish gravestone in Indiana
Three people have been arrested in connection with the vandalism of the headstone of a Jewish couple buried in the cemetery of a small Indiana town.
An anonymous tip to police led to the arrests on Tuesday night, according to local news reports in Scottsburg.
Angeliquca Tompkins, 19, and Matthew Terry, 20, are charged with criminal mischief and criminal trespassing; they are being held in the county jail. The third suspect was a female juvenile who was released to the custody of her parents.
The words "F***ing Jew" were spray-painted in white across the back of the double headstone, on top of the large Jewish star, in the Scottsburg Cemetery, one of the few headstones with a Jewish name on it. Two other headstones in the cemetery were later discovered vandalized.
Harvard Law School dean, initiator of Israeli program, to step down
After seven years as dean of Harvard Law School, Martha Minow, a noted legal scholar, expert in human rights and a leader in Jewish causes, will step down at the end of the academic year.
Minow, who began teaching at the law school in 1981, says she will remain on the law school faculty and plans to return to teaching, according to a statement released Tuesday by the law school.
She is credited with diversifying the faculty, staff and student body, programmatic growth and record fundraising. Among the new programs initiated under her term is a Jewish and Israeli law program directed by law school professor Noah Feldman.
Among the students she influenced was President Barack Obama, who in 2009, nominated her to the board of the Legal Services Corp., which she now serves as vice chair. Among her other notable non-academic appointments, Minow served on the Independent International Commission Kosovo.
In the world of Jewish philanthropy, Minow served for four years as board chair of the Charles H. Revson Foundation, and she earned high regard for her leadership in advancing innovation in Jewish education as a board member of the Covenant Foundation. She is a founding member of the Jewish Women’s Archive based in Boston.
Alan Dershowitz praised his former colleague for never shying away from her Jewishness.
New Film Tells Story of Israeli Basketball Triumph Over Soviets
The stakes could not have been higher when Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball team faced its heavily favored rival, the Russian CSKA Moscow squad, on a neutral court in Belgium in 1977.
The murder of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics and the devastating 1973 Yom Kippur War had cast despairing clouds over Israel during the first half of the decade. It was the height of the Cold War, and the Jewish state’s very survival on the world stage remained in question.
So the Maccabi’s upset triumph over CSKA Moscow — along the team’s road to a European basketball championship — ignited renewed faith and patriotism among Israelis, turning the tide in a turbulent period. Israeli filmmaker Dani Menkin’s new documentary, “On The Map,” recounts the tremendous achievements of a team nobody thought could win, and captures the unique charisma of the players who inspired a nation.
Early in the film, Israeli MK Michael Oren describes the hardships that Israel endured during the 1970s.
“It was a very difficult [time] for Israel, probably the greatest trauma suffered by the Jewish people since the Holocaust,” Oren said. His description of the toll that the Yom Kippur War had on Israeli society is particularly telling.
IsraellyCool: Celebrity Mark Pellegrino: Where You Stand On Israel Tells World A Lot About Your Moral Compass
The Jerusalem Post have a nice article on the recent America’s Voices In Israel delegation of celebrities. And by nice I really do mean nice, and not just relative to the nasty article by that D-list Ha’aretz hack.
Read the whole thing, but I’ll highlight this part regarding my friend Mark Pellegrino, who was very much affected by the trip, even though he boasted some strong pro-Israel credentials beforehand.
Pellegrino, who debates the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with his followers on Twitter, weighed in on the morality of supporting Israel: “I think that where you stand on this issue [of Israel’s existence], and this could be a naive supposition on my part… tells the world a lot about your moral compass.
“To me, if you stand for freedom and the right of people to live under a structure that promotes liberty, you have a good moral compass, and there’s nothing that I’ve seen here that contradicts that.”
Passengers ‘Totally Overwhelmed’ by Encounter With Historian Deborah Lipstadt While Watching In-Flight Movie ‘Denial,’ Based on Her Infamous Libel Suit
A mother and daughter were left stunned this week by a surprise encounter with the subject of a film they were watching while on a flight this week.
The incident began when renowned historian Deborah Lipstadt, while waiting for takeoff on board an airplane on Tuesday, notified her Facebook followers that among the films offered as part of the in-flight entertainment package was the new movie based on the high-profile libel suit filed against her by Holocaust denier David Irving. She then asked her social media friends if they thought she should introduce herself to fellow passengers watching “Denial.”
As receiving widespread encouragement to do so, she complied, and approached a mother and daughter from Seattle, who were engrossed in the film.
Before revealing her identity to them, Lipstadt, who teaches Holocaust Studies at Emory University, asked for their thoughts on the film. The mother, Lipstadt recounted, responded with “hands on [her] heart, indicating she is so moved she can’t speak.” At that point, Lipstadt told them who she was, leaving the pair “totally overwhelmed.”
In a subsequent Facebook post, Lipstadt said she “loved” meeting the mother and daughter — who is an actress — and was even left “verklempt [Yiddish for choked up with emotion]” by the interaction.
We have lots of ideas, but we need more resources to be even more effective. Please donate today to help get the message out and to help defend Israel.