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Shaggy Dog Story of Mea Shearim

2011-06-20T13:32:00.000-07:00

It didn't seem possible, but there it was (and still is) on YNet News: "A Jerusalem rabbinical court recently sentenced a wandering dog to death by stoning." By way of explanation the YNet article continues: "The cruel sentence stemmed from the suspicion that the hound was the reincarnation of a famous secular lawyer, who insulted the court's judges 20 years ago." The story made the top headlines of Yahoo (where I saw it yesterday) and Google News, and was carried by Time, BBC and AFP. At BBC, "Death sentence for Israeli dog" was the most viewed online story for June 20. And it is entirely untrue.

An apology was printed by Ma'Ariv, the Hebrew language Israeli newspaper that originated the story. The world press likely got the story from the English language, YNet. Apparently, "the only accurate detail was that a dog running loose in a court building caused something of a commotion." The Ma'Ariv apology included a statement from the Chief Justice of the Court, Rabbi Yehoshua Levin, explaining that the story was a complete fabrication. "There is no basis for the abuse of an animal, either from Halacha (Jewish law) or by common sense."

The news reviewers at Honest Reporting speculate that Ma'Ariv's invention "could be chalked down to internal issues between secular and ultra Orthodox sectors of the population." And they add this comment on the special responsibilities of the Israeli press:

Indeed, the Israeli press like any free media in the developed world is more than capable of tabloid-style journalism, displaying political bias and making mistakes. The Israeli press, however, has a responsibility beyond that to its own domestic audience.

If something this wild appears in an Israeli paper, you really can't fault world media for running the story--though the assumption that the story needs no further investigation is a problem. You can certainly fault the press if they don't follow up with a well-placed "it was a hoax" story.

Unfortunately, these never get the kind of coverage that the hoax generates. Time has issued an "update" today that does state: "The court denies the sentence was ever handed down" with a link to a more complete denial story by the Jewish Chronicle Online.

But to find the "Update," you first have to get to the bottom of the original story, headlined "Shocking Sentence: Jewish Court Condemns Dog to Death by Stoning" complete with a photo of a mournful looking dog, captioned: "A dog walks on the Israeli side of the Gaza Strip. [from Mea Shearim to Gaza?] In traditional Judaism, dogs are considered impure." The caption could use an "Update," too.

Is Time Magazine Using Gay Rights to Bash Israel?

2011-05-15T13:18:00.000-07:00

Here is the Honest Reporting take on Time Magazine's latest. Particularly interesting is Time's choice to include, as its supporting quote for the sinister interpretation of Gay Pride in Israel, Columbia University Arab politics professor, Joseph Massad.

Gay Rights Offends Time Magazine’s Image of Israel

MAY 15, 2011 16:07 BY SIMON PLOSKER

Sometimes the story choice itself conveys the prejudice of the writer and a media outlet that commissioned it for publication. How then to explain Time Magazine’s latest feature with the loaded headline:

Is Israel Using Gay Rights to Excuse Its Policy on Palestine?

Israel’s progressive and liberal policies towards its gay community are a natural outgrowth of its liberal democratic value system. Why shouldn’t Israel include this as part of its efforts to present itself to the world which tends to view the country solely through the lens of the Middle East conflict?

But as the headline and story choice imply, Israeli policies and their promotion to the outside world, particularly to gay communities outside of Israel, are merely a nefarious way to distract attention from Israeli policies relating to the Palestinians. According to Time:

The accusations stem from efforts over the past half-decade by the Israeli government to weave the country’s gay-friendly policies — including national hate-crime laws, employment protection for LGBT workers and openly gay military service — into its larger national-rebranding strategy, in the hopes of redirecting its global image away from politics, terrorism and the occupied territories. “The Israeli government and its propaganda organs … insist on advertising and exaggerating its recent record on LGBT rights … to fend off international condemnation of its violations of the rights of the Palestinian people,” says Joseph Massad, associate professor of modern Arab politics and intellectual history at Columbia University in New York City.

Time’s choice of Joseph Massad for comment on this is particularly bizarre given that Massad has been accused of homophobia by some gay organizations. Ernesto Pagano writes on interviewing Massad: continue reading here

Thriving in Israel

2011-04-30T21:15:00.000-07:00

The new Gallup Poll is out that ranks countries world-wide on the degree to which people are "thriving" in each country. Israel is in 7th place -- the USA is 12th place -- among 124 countries in the world.

You can click on the map to see the lack of thriving that surrounds Israel.

The survey is conducted by asking people to rate their quality of life. Here are the top 10 high quality places: Denmark, Sweden, Canada, Australia, Finland, Venezuela, Australia, Israel, New Zealand, Netherlands, and Ireland.

Truth Not Apartheid: African-American Students Fed Up With Israel Bashing

2011-04-22T22:09:00.000-07:00

Honors students from historically black colleges including Moorhouse and Spelman Colleges and Clark Atlanta University took out a full-page ad in 16 university newspapers objecting to the misuse of the term "apartheid" by anti-Israel groups on campus. They point out that this term is "patently false and deeply offensive" when applied to Israel. And, even more impressive, they write that groups like the Students for Justice in Palestine, to whom the letter is addressed, are "fostering bias in the media, and jeopardizing prospects for a timely resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict..."

The letter writers are to be commended for their courage in standing up to the "apartheid week" discourse at universities and for noticing what seems to go unnoticed -- that words do matter, that they shape the way Israel is perceived, and that these perceptions can impact the possibilities for peace.

The letter was published two weeks ago. So far, I haven't heard if there has been any response.

I don't suppose Jimmy Carter has issued an apology, either.

Goldstone: Oops, My Bad -- Palestinians, Not Israelis, Target Civilians

2011-04-03T12:41:00.000-07:00

It's page 10 news in the New York Times, unlike the blasting headlines and widespread condemnation of Israel for something it did not do during Operation Cast Lead.

Richard Goldstone has published an utter turnaround from the Report he issued for the UN claiming that the IDF intentionally targeted civilians during its response to years of rockets sent into Israel from Gaza targeting civilians.

The Goldstone Report was simply another UN anti-Israel rant, one that for the past year and a half has presented the delegitimizers of Israel with an ostensibly legitimate piece of evidence. Now, Goldstone admits that the major "finding" of the Report is false. In fact, "civilians were not intentionally targeted" by the IDF.

I can't get over the irony stated succinctly by Shimon Peres: ""Goldstone ignored the central reason for the IDF operation...the firing of thousands of rockets at innocent Israeli citizens." The Goldstone Report reversed reality.

This is only another in a long line of false accusations against Israel--the (non)massacre at Jenin, the (non)murder (by Israel) of Mohammad al-Dura, the (non)aggression of the Israeli Navy on the Mavi Mara--which are big news with big reactions when Israel is blamed but get a muted hearing once the dishonesty of the accusations comes out.

Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren points out that, in light of Goldstone's new statements, the Goldstone Report needs to be "utterly discredited." But I'm not sure that Oren is optimistic about this happening:

"In this article, Judge Goldstone contrasts the deliberate targeting of civilians by Hamas and its refusal to investigate its own war crimes with Israel's efforts to avoid civilian casualties and to fully investigate charges of IDF misconduct. Unfortunately, Judge Goldstone reached these conclusions only now, after his report seriously impaired the ability of Israel--and of all democratic states--to defend themselves, and furnished a major victory for terror," Oren stated.

"Dear Reuters, You Must Be Kidding"

2011-03-24T13:21:00.000-07:00

Jeffrey Goldberg, at The Atlantic, knocks one out of the park:

This is from a Reuters story on the Jerusalem bombing earlier today:

Police said it was a "terrorist attack" -- Israel's term for a Palestinian strike. It was the first time Jerusalem had been hit by such a bomb since 2004.

Those Israelis and their crazy terms! I mean, referring to a fatal bombing of civilians as a "terrorist attack"? Who are they kidding? Everyone knows that a fatal bombing of Israeli civilians should be referred to as a "teachable moment." Or as a "venting of certain frustrations." Or as "an understandable reaction to Jewish perfidy." Or perhaps as "a very special episode of 'Cheers.'" Anything but "a terrorist attack." I suppose Reuters will mark the 10th anniversary of 9/11 by referring to the attacks as "an exercise in urban renewal."

The mind reels.

Terror Attack in Jerusalem; Rockets in South

2011-03-23T11:30:00.000-07:00

One woman has died and 39 are injured in a terrorist bombing at a bus station in central Jerusalem. Here's part of a report from YNet News:

One attack victim, 29-year old Yair Zimerman, arrived at Shaare Zedek Hospital for tests and shared details of the blast with reporters.

"I was on bus route 75. The bus stopped at the station and there was a very loud blast. I told the driver to drive forward a little, because something had exploded. I am an MDA volunteer and immediately called the paramedics and told them," he said.

"I began treating people. There was one who couldn't be treated on the scene and another two in severe condition." Zimerman said.

Shlomo Steiner, who works at the Jerusalem central bus station, witnessed the explosion and told Ynet about the images he saw

"I heard a loud blast. I looked out the window and saw smoke rising up, and a yeshiva student running around with his legs on fire. People were trying to help him put out the fire." he said. "I saw people lying on the ground and then rescue forces started pouring in. They were at the scene within a few minutes, evacuating victims…it was all very scary."

A few days ago, a barrage of 50 rockets was fired from Gaza into southern Israel. Before that, grad rockets from Gaza hit the city of Be'er Sheva and, just yesterday, Ashdod.

The attack in Jerusalem has already been praised by the Gaza based Popular Resistance Committee and, more significantly, by the Islamic Jihad, which hasn't claimed responsibility for the bus bombing but has stated it fired the rockets into Ashdod. Their spokesperson said they have "entered a new phase of bombing targets farther away, where thousands of Israelis live."

When the Israeli response comes, to these and the dozens of other rocket attacks in recent months, to the brutal slayings of children and their parents in Itamar, to Hamas's stated goal of destroying Israel, will it really be that difficult for the world to understand that the Israelis need to defend themselves?

Israel Among First to Aid Japan

2011-03-13T23:12:00.000-07:00

from Israel 21C

Israel's first humanitarian aid organization will touch down in Japan today to help rescue and relief efforts in the island nation. An hour after the horrifying earthquake and devastating tsunami struck Japan, Israel pledged its support to help.

The UN-recognized ZAKA organization (a Hebrew acronym for Disaster Victims Identification) dispatched one team from Israel last night, and a second ZAKA group based in Hong Kong was to leave for the quake area overnight.

ZAKA's experts have extensive experience assisting at natural disasters around the world, includingHaiti, the tsunami in Thailand and the Katrina hurricane in New Orleans.

Upon news of the world record earthquake, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu delivered a message to the Japanese government saying that the "people of Israel express their deep sorrow over the tragedy in Japan, and that he will work to provide any help that will be required."

"Israel officially offered its help an hour after the earthquake struck," Japan consul in Israel, Mitoshiko Shinomya, told local Israeli media. "It is very heart-warming, but at this point we do not know exactly what the extent of the damage is, so it is difficult for us to say what can be done."

The 8.9 magnitude earthquake struck a nation said to be the leader in earthquake-ready preparation. But the damage was insurmountable, wiping out and submerging entire coastal towns. Japanese officials believe the death toll will be in the thousands.

In addition to ZAKA, other Israeli and Jewish humanitarian organizations grouped together to help the Japanese.

IsraAID-FIRST, an Israeli umbrella group of relief organizations, said it was preparing to send a team of experts to assist in relief efforts.

"We've been looking past few hours at the damage and the needs," IsrarAID head Shahar Zehavi said. "Our main agenda is to send a delegation of earthquakes specialists and water purification experts to the region."

The Israeli Foreign Ministry said six Israelis - five who live in Japan, one traveler - have yet to make contact with family or ministry officials. Contact has been made with nine other Israelis who were in Japan at the time of the natural disaster.

Following last month's earthquake in Christchurch, Israel sent emergency supplies including water purification equipment and temporary shelters to New Zealand.

Breaking News: Jews Didn't Kill Jesus

2011-03-04T23:48:00.000-08:00

In less than 20 centuries the case is settled! Pope Benedict XVI (seen in the photo wearing his white papal kippah) confirms that THE JEWS were not and are not responsible for the death of Jesus by the Romans in CE 33.

Though Vatican II (back in the 1960s) rejected the previous 1800 years of Church teaching that interpreted JEWS as collectively guilty for the crucifixion, Pope Benedict's book, that comes out this week, is being "hailed" by Jewish leaders because the Pope states clearly that all the followers of Jesus and Jesus himself were JEWS so EVERYBODY involved was a JEW. Except the Romans. In any case, the Pope points out that the crucifixion leads to "salvation" and not to "revenge" so this whole blaming of the JEWS is wrong.

About time, said Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, though the direct quote is: "My fervent hope is that your clarity and courage will strengthen relations between Jews and Christians throughout the world and help promote peace and reconciliation for years to come."

Not THAT Muslim Brotherhood

2011-02-06T15:08:00.000-08:00

One of the key players sitting at the conference table now amid the continued upheaval in Egypt is the Muslim Brotherhood. It seems clear that groups like the MB have no interest in democracy but do use whatever tools are available to advance their agenda. Yet, you will find no shortage of commentators telling us not to worry, it is only "Israeli propaganda" that describes the MB as a terrorist group opposed to democracy.

The New York Times online, for instance, offers scholar Tariq Ramadan noting that Ramadan's own grandfather, Hassan al-Banna, founded the Muslim Brotherhood in 1928, but finding no need to also mention that al-Banna was a close ally of Hitler and spent much of WWII in Germany planning for Hitler's Final Solution to come to the Jews of the Middle East. Ramadan, who was banned by Homeland Security from entering the US because of ties to terrorist organizations but who has recently had his visa reinstated, "calls on the West to stop demonizing" organizations like the Muslim Brotherhood. Paul Berman's book, The Flight of the Intellectuals explains why Ramadan is always called upon to explain Islam to the West.

Current statements from the Muslim Brotherhood, however, speak for themselves clearly enough that we don't need scholarly interpretation. The most recent would be that of the MB in Egypt saying that the Egyptians, who have had a peace treaty with Israel for 30 years, should "prepare for war with Israel."

Stand With Us has created a fact sheet that documents the Muslim Brotherhood's support for Hezbollah, as well as for Osama bin Laden; the obvious link between the MB and Hamas; and the MB's goals of "conquering the West." The fact sheet will help you keep your bearings when you're told that the Muslim Brotherhood is just another peaceful constituency in Egypt.

Egypt: Where Do the Riots End?

2011-01-29T18:32:00.000-08:00

82 people have been killed and 2000 injured during the past five days in Egypt where tens of thousands have taken to the streets protesting against 30 years of Hosni Mubarak. That thousands are risking their lives to change the conditions of their country makes those of us watching hope, as we did while watching the protests in Iran, that the country could become a democracy.

Yet, the irony may be that Egypt's chances for greater freedom depend on restoring order quickly enough that a worse dictatorship does not take over. With no police presence in many places, the riots have turned into full scale chaos. There is report of 60 rapes, prisons burned and criminals at large, random looting and destruction including damage to the Museum of Antiquities.

Mubarak received calls of support from Mahmoud Abbas, while the spokesmen of Hamas have wished success to the protesters. Why would Hamas support the protesters? The protesters would appear to lack any sort of political leadership -- dictatorships don't have opposition parties and yes, our VP, Joe Biden got it wrong -- Mubarak is really a dictator -- so they don't have an obvious way of taking over from Mubarak. And anyone who might take over, for instance, the Muslim Brotherhood, could either lead directly to an Islamic dictatorship or would be supported and controlled by Islamists. Good news for Hamas; bad news for the Egyptians and for Israel.

Mubarak has been in power since the assassination of Anwar Sadat and, as a "moderate" Arab leader, has been supported by the US. Egypt receives massive amounts of US aid and has a powerful military force as a result. It has been in Mubarak's interest to honor that piece of paper Sadat gave Israel establishing peace in exchange for the Sinai. But we don't know what or who comes next.

Israel's Ambassador: Peace is Possible With Direct Talks

2011-01-22T18:00:00.000-08:00

If you find yourself getting distracted by the noise around the conflict, it is useful to read a Michael Oren article to remind yourself of the basics. The added bonus is that the ambassador can write! Here are some reminders from his most recent piece about the need for direct talks.

1. While Israel continues to help build the Palestinian economy and eases up on check-points, Palestinian leadership needs to help build a framework for co-existence:

Palestinian leaders must also prepare their people for peace by promoting co-existence and removing calls for Israel's destruction from public television and textbooks. Palestinian leaders must also prepare their people for peace by promoting co-existence and removing calls for Israel's destruction from public television and textbooks

2. Efforts at peace need not be distracted by the settlements:

The emergence of these communities did not stop Israel from achieving peace with Egypt and Jordan or from negotiating with the Palestinians for 16 years. Settlements account for less than 2% of the West Bank land and will not prevent the creation of a viable Palestinian state.

3. The point of peace negotiations is to negotiate:

The Palestinians have been attempting to end-run the peace process by seeking recognition for statehood from foreign countries. But such actions not only violate previous agreements between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, they merely prolong the conflict.

4. The goal is, in fact, to make peace between two countries -- the Jewish State and the Palestinian:

..we need to resolve the Palestinian refugee claims within the context of a Palestinian state, just as more than 600,000 Jewish refugees from Arab lands were resettled in Israel. We have to secure the reciprocal recognition of the Jewish and Palestinian nation-states...

5. Jerusalem is the capital of Israel.

Israel will insist that its capital, the spiritual heart of the Jewish people for more than 3,000 years and a model of religious freedom under Israeli governance, will remain undivided. This was the policy of Israeli leaders going back toYitzhak Rabin and Golda Meir. But we understand that the Palestinians hold different positions on Jerusalem and that they will bring them to the negotiating table.

Arizona's First Jewish Congresswoman and Politicized Tragedy

2011-01-12T22:57:00.000-08:00

I started this blog not because I had something to say but because what is said about Israel in news outlets that I used to look to for information, even those I used to revere (the New York Times), now present such distorted and delegitimizing coverage of Israel that I find myself dreading every mention of Israel in the mainstream news. So, my small response is to blog information -- most of it non-controversial -- on various Israel events as they come along.

Right now, the Jerusalem Post is the home page on my computer, so it was there that I first saw that Congresswoman Gabrille Giffords had been shot (and also learned that she is Jewish--a detail included in the headlines only in the Jewish State). I immediately switched to American news sources to see what had happened. As I began watching the reports, I began to get that same feeling of dread I get whenever Israel bursts into the news: First there is the tragedy -- a nine year old is killed, a judge, a grandmother, and the young congresswoman is critically injured. And then there is the over-the-top and irresponsible reaction--already prepared in advance of the tragic event. In this case there was the Sheriff of Pima County holding forth on national television saying we don't know anything at all about the killer, Jared Loughner, but Arizona does have a lot of bigoted people and they listen to talk radio that gets them all stirred up. He really said that. So did the The New York Times a bit more eloquently. Soon the major networks were showing Sarah Palin's map of voting districts targeted for getting out the vote--and taking the term, target, literally.

The killer is a scary, untreated mental case, whose unintelligible statements on YouTube indicate only that he is a scary untreated mental case.

"Massacre--followed by libel" is how Charles Krauthammer describes it. The pattern of political twisting of events that I'm used to following in news about Israel showed up in full force after the tragedy in Tucson.

Oil in Israel? Sounds Like a Miracle

2011-01-05T21:38:00.000-08:00

Everyone knows that there are no natural resources in Israel -- unless you count brain power. At least since Israel gave the Sinai back to Egypt, the only time you hear of finding oil in Israel is during Chanukah. But this week, drilling off the northern coast of Israel established that there is a huge natural gas field there that would give Israel enough natural gas to meet its own energy needs "for the next 90 years." More environmentally friendly than oil and just as valuable, natural gas in a huge quantity would even make Israel an energy exporter. Continue reading here for an enthusiastic report from The Australian that begins: "This will boost the Jewish state's status as the Middle East's pre-eminent power." For the economic, scientific, and political problems ahead read here in the New York Times.

Anti-Semitism 2010

2010-12-29T18:30:00.000-08:00

The end of the year is the time to take stock and review, so those who keep track of the bad news come out with their reports: anti-Semitism is alive and adding its unhealthy influence around the world.

Planning ahead for anti-Jewish 2011 is the UN General Assembly's Durban III Conference commemorating the excesses of the first "Durban Conference on Racism" which turned into a "festival of racism against Israel and the Jewish people." That's a quote from Canadian Liberal Party leader Michael Ignatieff. Canada has already stated that it will not attend the 2011 Conference given the anti-Semitism that was on display at Durban I and II: "with groups distributing handouts praising Adolf Hitler and featuring caricatures reviving ancient stereotypes of hook-nosed Jews thirsting for gentile blood." We're not talking about subtle hints of anti-Semitism, here. Hopefully, the US will step up soon to announce that we're joining with Canada in not attending. It does seem like Canada speaks out more quickly than the US these days against Israel-bashing.

The Simon Weisenthal Center brought out a list of the Top 10 anti-Semitic slurs of 2010 and called it "AntiSemitism Goes Mainstream" since 9 of the 10 slurs come from famous and respected people--Helen Thomas, Oliver Stone, and Malaysia's former Premier, Matatir Mohammed -- whose words (and this is good news) at least caused a negative reaction. Many people do notice and object when anti-Semites come out and say what they have been thinking. The Center's Number 10 mainstream spot goes to all those non-famous, anonymous haters who post their creepy statements all over the Internet.

Hate speech is bad but of course hate action is worse. The FBI published its hate crimes data for 2009 this month. In the US, 71.9% of religion-based hate crimes were perpetrated against Jews. 8.4% were against Muslims and 6.2% against Christians (Catholics and Protestants combined). As many commentators have said, that Jews are by far the most likely to experience religion-hate crimes does not seem to be well documented by the media.

If you're looking for desecration of Jewish cemeteries and synagogues, or dangerous places for religious Jews to take a stroll, The Anti-Defamation League has this list of "selected anti-Semitic incidents" around the world. There's a lot of action in Europe -- France, Sweden, Belgium, Germany -- and the list doesn't even include the Netherlands whose former EU commissioner says that he can see "no future" for Jews in the Netherlands. The reason? "...anti-Semitism, in particular, of Dutch-Moroccans..."

All this anti-Jewish activity and we haven't even got to the Arab/Muslim world. Let's wait until 2011 to talk about that.

Happy New Year.

Haifa's Eco-Friendly Christmas Tree

2010-12-24T01:58:00.000-08:00

Haifa has a month-long celebration, the Holiday of Holidays Festival, that runs through Chanukah, Eid-al-Adha, and Christmas, in recognition of all three holidays, and of the harmony that Haifa is known for as an interconnected city of Jews, Muslims, and Christians. And besides all that, Haifa is the world center of the Baha'i. This year, because of the disastrous fires, the start of the Festival was postponed. But the day the fires began was the same day that the Christmas tree for the Festival went up -- near the Baha'i Gardens.

Environmentalists especially appreciate the tree as it was made with the "goal of raising environmental awareness," according to the artist, Hadas Itzcovitch. Yes, it is not a tree that was down cut before the fires. The 30 foot high tree is made out of thousands of recycled plastic bottles. And it is lit up by LED energy-efficient bulbs, naturally. It looks very festive at night, as you can see in the video.

Israelis Kindle More Tech Advances

2010-12-19T18:14:00.000-08:00

Are Israelis involved in every new development in technology?

It seems that way. Just to name a few advances in technology that originate in Israel seems like an exaggeration: voice mail, cell phones, instant messaging, firewall security, Intel computer chips, the first camera capsule that can be swallowed so that doctors can examine internal organs, computer virus protection software, most of the Windows operating system and now:

the technology that makes Kindle work.

Amazon's Kindle, was largely developed in the heart of Israel's high-tech center in the Herzliya Industrial Zone on the central coast.

"Four years ago, Amazon contacted Sun (which was acquired by Oracle last year) in California and said they wanted a small device that could be used to read e-books," says Lilach Zipory, the leader of the team that helped to develop the Kindle application. "They had already acquired the software to run it, but were looking for the right technical design, and especially a platform to run the software on. My team in Herzliya is in charge of developing Java for small non-cell phone devices, so they gave us the project." And the rest, of course, is history.

It's a history that wasn't well known until recently, since Oracle chose not to reveal too much about its role in the development of the Kindle. Now, however, the company has come clean - and in the process, Zipory's team is receiving some much-deserved credit (read the rest here).

Israel Video Tribute

2010-12-14T13:41:00.000-08:00

No words today -- just sharing this video representation of Israel.

Enjoy.

h/t Elder of Zion

Chanukah Fires Contained with International Help

2010-12-05T15:35:00.000-08:00

After 77 hours of terrible damage, the wildfires in northern Israel are being controlled at last. The fires are not yet out but the combination of Israeli and international firefighting apparently has brought the flames under control---tragically, not before forty-one people were killed and another thirty-three injured.

It's the biggest natural disaster in Israel's history. About 17,000 people were evacuated. Several hundred homes and buildings burned down. And, it's hard to imagine the ongoing impact of 12,300 acres burned in Israel's precious forest areas.

Israelis are used to rushing to help when there are natural disasters around the world. They were among the first on the scene in Haiti and their field hospital was fully functioning before other aid even arrived. Israeli medical and disaster relief teams helped in recent years in the Philippines, Indonesia, Samoa, Myanmar, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Turkey, and the Congo, among other places.

This time it was an unusual reversal with Israel needing to ask for help. That so many countries responded so quickly (when all we hear is that Israel is isolated in the world) is the good news in this sad news story.

An inventory of countries helping fight the fires-- from the Israel Foreign Ministry as of Dec 4:

Greece: 4 aircraft and an additional Hercules plane for equipment and cargo. 

Cyprus: 2 aircraft, 1 plane and 1 helicopter 

Great Britain: 2 helicopters 

Turkey: 2 planes  

Russia: 4 planes, including 1 B-20, 1 YAK which brought in 10 experts and two Ilyushin-67s. 

France: 1 cargo plane

 Italy: 1 cargo plane 

Bulgaria: Approximately 100 firefighters 

Jordan: 3 firefighting vehicles and fire retardant materials 

EL Al has also flown in fire prevention materials from Marseille.

An additional thirteen planes are expected to land in Israel today, Saturday 4 December 2010:

The United States: 2 Hercules planes originating from the US Air Force base in Germany, expected to land at approximately 1800 hours at Ben Gurion Airport. They are expected to carry fire retardant materials and other essential equipment. 

Russia: 2 helicopters

 France: 2 firefighting aircraft 

Spain: 4 firefighting aircraft and an additional cargo plane 

Azerbaijan: 2 helicopters 

Switzerland: 1 helicopter

Tomorrow, Sunday 5 December, an additional 3 planes from the US and one from Canada are expected to arrive, as well as three fire trucks from the Palestinian Authority.

The Amish and the Jewish

2010-11-28T14:01:00.000-08:00

A delegation of Amish flew from the US and Switzerland to Israel this week to ask the Jewish people for forgiveness for their "silence during the Nazi extermination of Jews during the Holocaust." On behalf of all Amish people, the group delivered a parchment at the Western Wall apologizing for the past and, at the same time, they declared "their unreserved support for the State of Israel and the Jewish people."

The Jerusalem Post reports that the Amish decided to apologize at this particular time because of the threats against Israel and the Jews made by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and those he influences. And "for the simple reason that they haven't in the past."

Flying to Israel and showing up with their message at the Western Wall seems a nice gesture from a people who do not involve themselves in events outside their community and even refrain from using modern methods of transportation.

They are not approving of photos of themselves, either, but here is a unique one at the Western Wall. (Too bad they didn't leave on their black hats, though, for a real coming together of Amish and Jewish.)

Allied With Israel in Plain English (and French)

2010-11-23T16:06:00.000-08:00

America has always been Israel's strongest ally, but the clearest voice of support for Israel--recently--comes from an ally a little farther to the north.

Canadian Prime Minister, Stephen Harper delivered a speech at the Ottawa
Conference on Combating Anti-Semitism in which he asserted Canada's unequivocal support for Israel "whatever the cost."

That the Prime Minister articulated this strong stand to an audience concerned with anti-Semitism might suggest that he was just telling his listeners what they wanted to hear. In fact, this particular

conference provided the context for Harper to make a connection -- one that is most often inverted -- between anti-Semitism and anti-Israel rhetoric/action.

Rising anti-Semitism is often explained (especially by its perpetrators) as a response to Israeli actions. But Harper identified demonization and deligitimization of Israel as simply a current form of age-old anti-Semitism.

And we must recognize, that while its [anti-Semitism's] substance is as crude as ever, its method is now more sophisticated.

“Harnessing disparate anti-Semitic, anti-American and anti-Western ideologies, it targets the Jewish people by targeting the Jewish homeland, Israel, as the source of injustice and conflict in the world, and uses, perversely, the language of human rights to do so.

“We must be relentless in exposing this new anti-Semitism for what it is. Of course, like any country, Israel may be subjected to fair criticism. And like any free country, Israel subjects itself to such criticism — healthy, necessary, democratic debate. But when Israel, the only country in the world whose very existence is under attack — is consistently and conspicuously singled out for condemnation, I believe we are morally obligated to take a stand. Demonization, double standards, delegitimization, the three D’s, it is the responsibility of us all to stand up to them.

This moral obligation, he noted, is also in the best interests of democratic countries.

And friends, I say this not just because it is the right thing to do, but because history shows us, and the ideology of the anti-Israeli mob tells us all too well if we listen to it, that those who threaten the existence of the Jewish people are a threat to all of us.

Here is the complete transcript of his talk. Below is a video excerpt.

Middle East Conflict Explained in Five Minutes

2010-11-16T09:04:00.000-08:00

Here is a useful, five minute explanation of the conflict. Of course, this does not mean that there is a five minute solution.

"Jerusalem is Not a Settlement"

2010-11-09T11:46:00.000-08:00

Prime Minister Netanyahu told our President today that "Jerusalem is not a settlement...Jerusalem is the capital of Israel."

Seems a bit obvious, but the PM's remark was his response to President Obama's comments, made during a speech in Indonesia that was billed as "outreach to the Muslim world," in which he said that construction in Jerusalem, specifically current work on apartments in the Pisgat Ze'ev neighborhood is "never helpful when it comes to peace negotiations."

Netanyahu pointed out that, in fact, it is never relevant:

Israel sees no connection between the peace process and the planning and building policy in Jerusalem, something that hasn't changed for the past 40 years. All Israeli governments have built in all parts of the city in the past 40 years.

"During this time," he added, "We have signed peace agreements with Egypt and Jordan and have held negotiations with the Palestinians for 17 years. Construction in Jerusalem has never obstructed the peace process."

While it is true that the 17 years of peace negotiations haven't resulted in peace, apartment building hasn't been the reason.

Tel Aviv: Great Place to Visit in a Livable Country

2010-11-04T14:57:00.000-07:00

The UN Human Development Index and the Lonely Planet's Travel Guide both came out with their new rankings this week. If you put these two lists together (as I just did) you can get a short list of the Top Five Cities to Visit in the World's Most Livable Countries. And the top five are: 1. New York (USA) 2. Wellington (New Zealand) 3. Tel Aviv (Israel) 4. Newcastle (Australia) and 5. Valencia (Spain).

Here's a link to the top travel cities from Lonely Planet. Tel Aviv, described as "a kind of San Francisco in the Middle East" is number 3, after New York and Tangier, Morocco. Tangier doesn't make the Top Fives Cities Index I've just invented because it will be great to visit, but apparently, you wouldn't want to live there, as it ranks only 114 on the Human Development List.

The UN Human Development project evaluates 169 countries of the world on measures of education, health, per capita income, life expectancy, and overall quality of life. Norway has ranked #1 for eight of the past ten years. The USA is fourth this year and Israel, right behind France and just ahead of Finland, is ranked #15 of the best places in the world to live. Not bad for a ranking made by the UN.

And now if you want to travel to great cities in livable countries, you'll know where to make your reservations.

Bomb in the Mail Addressed to Us

2010-10-29T23:18:00.000-07:00

Bombs sent from Yemen were found in England and Dubai and stopped there before they could reach their intended destination: synagogues in Chicago. There are many things we don't know about this particular act of thwarted terrorism. We don't know how many more packages containing explosives are out there. We don't know (though I, personally, never much care) whether the terrorists were al-Qaeda or some other groups. And, according to Homeland Security advisor, John Brennan, "We don't want to presume we know the bounds of this plot."

But one thing we do know, writes Jeffrey Goldberg in The Atlantic, is that these terrorists are:

fundamentally annihilationist in outlook, meaning that they have as a primary goal the killing of Jews, everywhere. This shouldn't be a controversial conclusion to make, but there are many people out there who believe that al Qaeda and its fellow travelers are angry over settlements. They are not. They are angry over the continued existence of Jews.

Israel and the Midterm Elections

2010-10-21T15:00:00.000-07:00

Is there a way to tell if your candidate supports Israel?

Since we are living in an era of JStreet, a pro- Israel organization that turns out to receive funding from George Soros and to devote its attention to getting Richard Goldstone access to members of Congress, it makes sense to be skeptical when a candidate says he or she is pro-Israel. It makes sense to be skeptical when a candidate says just about anything, but here are some questions to consider.

1. Does the candidate articulate any particular reasons why he or she believes American support for Israel is important or does the candidate rely mostly on restating that his or her support of Israel already is well-known?

2. Is the candidate endorsed by any groups that are clearly pro-Israel?

3. To what extent is the candidate endorsed by groups that are known to be anti-Israel? Does the candidate speak out in any way against these groups?

4. Does the candidate seem to know anything specific about the history of Israel prior to 1967?

5. In relation to Israel or the Middle East what has the candidate actually done?

As for this last question, it is easier to judge an incumbent, on any issue, than someone who hasn't yet been in office, which is why everyone is predicting that there will be major changes in Congress after the election.

In terms of action about Israel, a few actions of Congress during the past year are noteworthy.
After Joe Biden went to Israel in March and was offended by the building of
apartments in the Ramat Shlomo neighborhood of Jerusalem, the crisis that ensued prompted a majority in both the House and the Senate to sign letters to Secretary of State Clinton reiterating the US commitment to Israel.

Was your candidate among those 94 Democrats/8 Republicans in the House and 20 Democrats/4 Republicans in the Senate who did not sign these letters? Was he or she one of the 54 Democrat (no Republican) signatories to a letter (sponsored by JStreet) asking President Obama to further pressure Israel regarding the Gaza blockade?

Maybe it is not so much that it is hard to tell who are the bigger supporters of Israel, as that it is hard to accept the changed degree of support from the Democrat side.

Zionist Entity or Jewish State

2010-10-16T13:38:00.000-07:00

As is often the case, it has been hard this week to keep up with the verbal sparring of the peace processes.

Yesterday, Mahmoud Abbas reiterated: "We will never sign an agreement recognizing [the] Jewish state."

The day before, one of Abbas's advisors, senior PLO official Abed Rabbo had been "quoted as saying if the 'map is based on the 1967 lines, then PA will recognize Israel by whatever name it wants.'"

Rabbo had to retract this comment, since it goes against the official stance of the PLO. But his denial still left some wiggle room. Apparently he did not "rule out the possibility" of recognizing Israel as a Jewish state "if the US would give us a clear map showing the borders of Israel, so we can recognize it."

Both Abbas and Rabbo were reacting to Benjamin Netanyahu's comments to the Knesset earlier in the week about the significance of "Palestinian recognition of Israel as a Jewish state." Netanyahu said, "If the Palestinians expect a national state, we can expect our own national state for the Jewish people."

All this left Michael Oren, ambassador from the Jewish state, needing to remind the readers of the New York Times, exactly which country it is that he represents. The whole essay is worth reading. Here's how it concludes:

Reconciling with the Jewish state means that the two-state solution is not a two-stage solution leading, as many Palestinians hope, to Israel’s dissolution.

Which is precisely why Israelis seek the basic reassurance that the Palestinian Authority is ready to accept our state — to accept us. Israelis need to know that further concessions would not render us more vulnerable to terrorism and susceptible to unending demands. Though recognition of Israel as the Jewish state would not shield us from further assaults or pressure, it would prove that the Palestinians are serious about peace.

The core of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been the refusal to recognize Jews as a people, indigenous to the region and endowed with the right to self-government. Criticism of Israeli policies often serves to obscure this fact, and peace continues to elude us. By urging the Palestinians to recognize us as their permanent and legitimate neighbors, Prime Minister Netanyahu is pointing the way out of the current impasse: he is identifying the only path to co-existence.

Israeli Solar Innovation Powers California

2010-10-10T10:11:00.000-07:00

It's a "revolutionary new kind of solar power plant," President Obama said in his radio address this week, describing the facility that Israeli company, BrightSource is building in the Mojave desert.

"It's going to put about a thousand people to work building a state-of-the-art facility. And when it's complete, it will turn sunlight into the energy that will power up to 140,000 homes - the largest such plant in the world. Not in China. Not in India. But in California," he said.

"With projects like this one, and others across this country, we are staking our claim to continued leadership in the new global economy. And we're putting Americans to work producing clean, home-grown American energy that will help lower our reliance on foreign oil and protect our planet for future generations," he continued.

The solar development site for BrightStar, a company based in Jerusalem, is in the Negev desert. BrightStar was founded by Arnold Goldman, who also founded the Israeli company Luz International, which was one of the first solar companies in the world. According to Israel21C, BrightStar has just signed the "two largest solar power agreements in the world" with Pacific Gas and Electric and Southern California Edison.

Is Stuxnet in Israel's Slingshot?

2010-10-05T13:01:00.000-07:00

If it's possible to damage Iran's nuclear program without a single human injury--that's cause for celebration. But no one is cheering, at least not publicly.

First of all, Iran's progress toward nuclear arms has only been slowed down--not stopped. Second, this is a computer virus, not something that can be precisely controlled, and that's scary. But mainly, of course, it's a cyber attack. No one knows who did it. Yet, here is a typical report:

The "Stuxnet" computer worm, which has been described as one of the "most refined pieces of malware ever discovered", has been most active in Iran, says the security company Symantec – leading some experts to conjecture that the likely target of the virus is the controversial Bushehr nuclear power plant, and that it was created by Israeli hackers.

In fact, the Guardian headline reads "Stuxnet worm is the 'work of a national government agency'" and the most likely suspect is Israel. Jerusalem Post managing editor, Carolyn Glick cautions that even if Israel did it, she must not learn the "wrong lessons" from this accomplishment and think that Israel can rely on staying just one step ahead of its enemies:

IF we assume that Stuxnet is an Israeli weapon, what does it show us about Israel's position vis-à-vis its enemies? What Stuxnet shows is that Israel has managed to maintain its technological advantage over its enemies. And this is a great relief. Israel has survived since 1948 despite our enemies' unmitigated desire to destroy us because we have continuously adapted our tactical advantages to stay one step ahead of them. It is this adaptive capability that has allowed Israel to win a series of one-off battles that have allowed it to survive.

But again, none of these one-off battles were strategic game-changers. None of them have fundamentally changed the strategic realities of the region. This is the case because they have neither impacted our enemies' strategic aspiration to destroy us, nor have they mitigated Israel's strategic vulnerabilities. It is the unchanging nature of these vulnerabilities since the dawn of modern Zionism that gives hope to our foes that they may one day win and should therefore keep fighting.

Yes, Israel is as vulnerable as a country can be. But its technological superiority against its huge enemies--think David working from a laptop while Goliath bellows his invectives against the Zionist entity -- can only be encouraging.

It would be really encouraging, however, if Stuxnet were a joint project of the top two suspects, Israel and the US.

What's With the Israeli Building Freeze?

2010-10-01T21:46:00.000-07:00

Does anyone really believe that just another few months of not building a new kindergarten or not remodeling apartments in Jewish communities in the West Bank will cause Fatah and -- be serious, Hamas? -- to sign on for peace with Israel?

The news as reported by Al Jazeera:

Quartet urges settlement freeze
Statement of diplomatic bloc calls on Israeli PM to extend moratorium due to expire at the end of September.
"The world sponsors of the Middle East peace process have called on Israel to extend its settlement moratorium, in a bid to map out a peace deal within the next year.
According to a statement released on Tuesday, the Quartet, comprising the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia, piled further pressure on Benyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, to extend the 10-month settlement freeze due to expire at the end of September. Read the rest.

Peace Not Now

2010-09-21T20:23:00.000-07:00

Today's Jerusalem Post headlines (all in the same article) sum up the absurdity of the current peace talks. The bold headline reads: "Fayyad storms out of New York meeting with Ayalon." This is followed by the explanation: "Palestinian PM furious over two states for two peoples."

We are so far from two states that the fury was about Deputy Foreign Minister Ayalon's phrasing in summarizing the meeting topic: "two states for two peoples: Jewish and Palestinian." This radical summary apparently led to the need for a second sub-heading: "Quartet peacemakers cancel press conference amid rancor."

And finally, there is a third, American, sub-heading: "Bill Clinton says there's a 50-50 chance of peace," a statement that clear-thinking, Palestinian journalist Kaled Abu Toameh might include as evidence for his assessment: "The peace process is going nowhere and everyone is just pretending..." Michael Totten cites Toameh in analyzing the main problem which is that Mahmoud Abass "cannot make peace":

Once in a while, I “meet” someone online, on blogs and in comment sections, who thinks the current round of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks might end the conflict, but I don’t think I know anyone in person who lives in the Middle East who believes this. (Read the rest)

Israeli Inventions Reminder

2010-09-14T13:47:00.000-07:00

Cell phones, instant messaging, Microsoft Windows, Intel microchips, computer firewalls, large scale solar power, drip irrigation, cancer diagnostic tests -- just a few results of ongoing Israeli innovation. Always good to remember what the news doesn't tell us about Israel, especially useful when you hear that some group wants to divest from Israel. If such groups use computers or cell phones, they're out of luck.

Shana Tova. A good year 5771.

Why Time Magazine Doesn't Care About Integrity

2010-09-07T22:23:00.000-07:00

There is no story to report, so far, about the latest peace talks. Hamas continues to control Gaza, sponsor terrorism, and demand that Israel disappear as a country. The Palestinian negotiating "peace partner," Mahmoud Abbas does not have the power to secure peace with Israel nor does he show signs of wanting to do so.

Meanwhile, most Israelis support a two-state solution and most are not optimistic that this can happen soon. Given that the offers of Ehud Barak in 2000 for nearly all of the West Bank and a divided Jerusalem were met with the Intifada, and in 2005 the complete withdrawal of Jews from Gaza was followed by years of rocket fire on Israeli civilians -- it is hard to be hopeful about a new round of talks.

But Time Magazine's cover story this week has to be one of the most ridiculous examples of mainstream media trying to make a story where there is none -- at the expense of Israel. The cover blares out its conclusion that the conflict is the fault of Israel: "Why Israel Doesn't Care About Peace." Answer, according to Time: Israelis are busy with making money, drinking beer at the beach, and generally living superficial lives. You can read excerpts from the article on line so that you need not buy nor even hold the magazine in your hands:

In the week that three Presidents, a King and their own Prime Minister gather at the White House to begin a fresh round of talks on peace between Israel and the Palestinians, the truth is, Israelis are no longer preoccupied with the matter. They're otherwise engaged; they're making money; they're enjoying the rays of late summer. A watching world may still define their country by the blood feud with the Arabs whose families used to live on this land and whether that conflict can be negotiated away, but Israelis say they have moved on...

Honest Reporting, as always, provides a good critique of the anti-Israel media bias:

The reference to the "blood feud with the Arabs whose families used to live on this land" is particularly telling. Vick [the author] appears to subtly reject Israel's historic claims to the land and to imply that Israelis are at fault in the conflict, since the land really belongs to the Arabs.

The print edition's accompanying photos reinforce Vick's contention that Israelis are preoccupied with leisure. The images feature Israelis lying on the beach, chatting at a cafe, or sitting on park benches. The implication is obvious: Israelis don't care about peace because they are doing fine without it.

Thus, Time distorts Israeli resilience in the face of a decade of rocket attacks and terrorism into an image of decadence.

Newsweek went up for sale recently and apparently Time is bankrupt, too, at least in terms of integrity.

Deadly Danger of Peace Talks

2010-08-31T11:27:00.000-07:00

Four Israelis were murdered in a terrorist shooting on Highway 60 between Kiryat Arba and Hebron today. The attack comes a day before the US led talks are scheduled in Washington. Just yesterday, Binyamin Netanyahu, giving a final speech before leaving for Washington said, "I hope to find a brave partner as Begin found in Sadat." The differences between the agenda of Sadat that led to a peace treaty with Egypt and the current situation could not be more stark:

...the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) told Ynet Tuesday's shooting attack was a message to the Palestinian negotiating team ahead of the resumption of direct talks with Israel.

"They should not have embarked on this move without the support of the Palestinian people," PRC Spokesman Abu Mujahid said. "Our people still espouse the resistance and do not believe in the fictitious talks scheduled to commence tomorrow. "

Following the attack, security forces across the nation were ordered to go on the highest alert ahead of the possibility of further attacks.

UPDATE: Hamas claims responsibility for the attack

Canada Postal Workers Join Gaza Flotilla

2010-08-26T19:51:00.000-07:00

This story seemed so unlikely that I kept checking on the Internet after reading the article in the JWeekly. As a result, I read a series of catchy postings like "Gaza Flotilla Gets Stamp of Approval"; "Canadian Post Workers On Board"; and, from CNews: "Gaza Boat Goes Postal."

Indeed, the Canadian Postal Workers Union has joined with "Muslim, Arab, and 'human rights' groups" to send a Canadian boat to Gaza this fall.

Those who are more familiar with the postal Union will be less surprised.

In 2008, their members voted for boycott and divestment from Israel. The union says they were inspired to take their current action because mail service, for the past few weeks, has been unavailable into Gaza. However, the union president acknowledges that the Gaza boat is part of their "campaign of boycott, sanction and divestment" against Israel. The CNews article indicates that the mail blockade can be lifted by the local, that is, the Hamas government:

Mail delivery to Gaza was stopped after the man in charge of mail transfers was arrested by Israeli security forces. He has so far not been replaced by the local government.

What's the Point of Direct Talks?

2010-08-23T10:08:00.000-07:00

To read the Associated Press "analysis," you would think peace between Israel and the Palestinians depended solely on Benjamin Netanyahu.

The AP perspective is clear from just the headline: "Talks to Test Netanyahu's Will For Peace." What about the "will" of the two parties, by which I mean, Fatah and Hamas, who are refusing to talk to each other? Hamas cancelled their "unity" meeting because the peace talks were announced.

In fact, reports from the Arab press are that Mahmud Abbas was "outraged" when he heard about the peace talks, too, a reaction that "confused" US officials.

The idea that there is a desire, or "will" for peace from the side of Palestinian leadership doesn't seem to have any supporting evidence.

BBC documents Gaza activists' attack

2010-08-19T16:44:00.000-07:00

The BBC under fire for being pro-Israel?

An investigative documentary by the BBC based on the Mavi Marmara ship's recordings and interviews with both Israeli Navy commandos and members of the groups that organized the "Free Gaza" flotilla concluded that:

the main aim of the activists had not been to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza, but rather to orchestrate a political act designed to put pressure on Israel and the international community.
The program also concluded that the Israeli commandos encountered a violent premeditated attack by a hardcore group of activists organized by IHH members.

Mavi Marmara ship

Consequently, there are protests to the half-hour documentary planned for BBC headquarters in London. In fact, protests were planned before the documentary was even shown. One person complaining is "free Gaza" activist, Ewa Jasiewicz, who last month participated in spray painting a "free Gaza" message onto a wall of the original Warsaw Ghetto.

read more here

Make Art Not War

2010-08-18T13:38:00.000-07:00

What is it like to hole up in a bomb shelter while the sirens scream and the rockets fall nearby?

After a trip to Sderot, Artists 4 Israel has set up an installation in an East Hampton, New York gallery intended to give viewers a sense of the conditions under which residents of Sderot, Israel live. The exhibit includes artistic representations as well as a realistic bomb shelter. Craig Dershowitz, president of Artists 4 Israel said that the group chose East Hampton, "because it is one of the most safe and secure places, far removed from the pain and strife suffered in Israel and caused by Hamas."

Artists 4 Israel is “a community of creative individuals working together in an ongoing, collaborative project expressing Israel’s right to exist in peace and security."

It is also probably the coolest pro-Israel group around. Hopefully the exhibit will go on tour.

part of Artists 4 Israel Sderot exhibit

The Essence of Zionism

2010-08-16T14:52:00.000-07:00

(from Chai Wire tumblr)

A new article in Haaretz by Shlomo Avineri says it like it is:

"The essence of the Zionist revolution is the view that the Jews are a nation, and as such, they have the right to national self-determination in a political framework. This principle was accepted by the United Nations on November 29, 1947, in its decision to partition British Mandatory Palestine into two states - Jewish and Arab (not Jewish and Muslim-Christian ).

Israel views itself as a Jewish nation-state, exactly as Poland views itself as a Polish nation-state and Greece as a Greek nation-state, or as the Palestinian state, when it arises, will view itself as a Palestinian nation-state.”

Avineri continues:

“Anyone who rejects the Jews’ right to define themselves as a nation denies them a fundamental human right, to which Jews, just like the Palestinians, are entitled. Arab refusal to accept Israel as a Jewish state attests to something very deep and troubling: unwillingness to accept the Jewish people’s right to self-determination."

Pro-Israel Voices Needed

2010-08-13T00:20:00.000-07:00

Speaking out against efforts to delegitimize Israel is essential, as essential as Israeli military defense.

The verbal weapons of delegitimization: accusing Israel of being an "apartheid" state, denouncing any Israeli self-defense as "disproportionate" or even as "war crimes" and labeling Zionism as a "racist" enterprise can become so familiar that it stops seeming outrageous to make the outrageous claim that this particular sovereign, democratic country (and only this one) has no "right" to exist.

At the same time, the delegitimizers cloak themselves in the protective language of "human rights." The "free Gaza" flotilla participants, in spite of a well-armed (and video taped) attack on Israeli soldiers are still referred to as "humanitarians."

Gerald Steinberg writes in Ynet: "The political war aimed at delegitimizing Israel and at preventing the IDF from acting to stop terror attacks, is now recognized as a major threat. These are not the sentiments of alarmists..." Continue reading here

When a Rocket Hits a Child Therapy Center

2010-08-09T10:47:00.000-07:00

When a terrorist rocket lands on a college campus, it ought to be big news. There ought to be public outrage. When the terrorists score a direct hit on a therapy center for special needs children, even more so. After the initial reports, though, it seems we haven't heard a lot about this. Here is a first person account and video by Noam Bedein, director of the Sderot Media Center, of damage to the child hydrotherapy rehabilitation center at Sapir College.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On any other day, the facility on the Sapir campus would have been packed with kids, and the losses would have been devastating.
The child hydrotherapy rehabilitation center adjoining Sderot’s Sapir Academic College provides therapy and workshops for specialneeds children who live in the western Negev and is used by children from the entire country.
To see the video click here

On Saturday night, an upgraded Kassam rocket scored a direct hit on the ceiling of the center.

The Kassam hit not far from where Sapir student Roni Yechiah was killed on February 27, 2008.

The attack followed the explosion of a Iranian Grad missile that hit the city of Ashkelon on Friday morning.

We are approaching a total of 400 rocket attacks launched from Gaza since the cease-fire that halted Israel’s Operation Cast Lead in Gaza in January 2009.

Palestinians from Hamas controlled Gaza have targeted Ashkelon, with a population of 125,000 Israelis, since March 2008.

A film crew from our Sderot Media Center arrived a few hours after Saturday’s attack, where an IDF Home Front Command officer was assessing the damage.

As the crew filmed, a childcare worker arrived at the destroyed office. She was overwhelmed by the devastation.

She walked through the rubble that had been her office and, looking through the mess, she picked up a photo of her two children that had been hanging on the wall.

Had the rocket struck on any other day, it would have been a catastrophe, killing and wounding the children at the center. During the week the center is open until 10 p.m. and is packed with hundreds of children and therapists.

Because there were no casualties the attack has not remained in the headlines for very long. In the eyes of the media and the public, again, because there were no causalities, it was of little importance. The incident came at the height of summer vacation, when weather reports on the expected high temperatures across the nation take precedence over the lethal missiles raining down on southern Israel.

But had there been children at this rehabilitation center during the Kassam strike, and had lives been lost, the IDF might have had no choice but to reenter Gaza, and we might then have witnessed the firing of thousands of upgraded missiles capable of reaching Tel Aviv.

Israeli intelligence confirms that Hamas has assembled an arsenal of thousands of missiles including many with a range of 40 kilometers.

Yet until there is a human catastrophe that would seemingly justify an appropriate military response, Israel continues to supply the Hamas regime in Gaza with humanitarian aid, as well as the bills and coins it needs to maintain its enterprise.

It is common knowledge that everyday items such as fertilizer are used to manufacture fuel for Kassam rockets.

Cement intended for civilian reconstruction is instead used to build and reinforce bunkers and tunnels.
Metal intended for water pipes and streetlight poles ends up in the rocketmanufacturing facilities managed by Hamas.

Furthermore, Israel provides Gaza with electricity, water and sewerage, and has built the power plants in Ashkelon that provide over 70 percent of Gaza’s electricity, which have been a favorite target of Palestinian terrorists.
Ignoring these facts about Hamas, the world holds Israel totally responsible for the Gazan population of 1.4 million.

Yet, five years ago, Israel withdrew its key military and civilian presence from Gaza, giving land for the hope of peace - something that no other democracy in modern history has done.

What's Happening in Jerusalem?

2010-08-06T12:45:00.000-07:00

Going on right now: the Jerusalem International Arts and Crafts Fair. We went last year and it was wonderful. Yehudit Ravitz put on a great show the night we were there.

A steady stream of tourists and locals visit the Jerusalem Festival every year.

Rotem Amato, who is handling the public relations for the festival, which this year celebrates its 35th anniversary, tells ISRAEL21c that all the cultures in Israel are represented, including Israel's Arab and Bedouin communities, and that this year artists from Jordan and Morocco will also be showing their work from the Arab world.

~~~~~~~~

"Over the years, this festival has become a real institution in Jerusalem and it is attracting tourists from all over the world," Amato says. "This year, there will be special craft shows from Australia, crafts of traditional design, and also artists from Jordan and Morocco, who will present a rich show of traditional Moroccan crafts - carvings and copper. These artists who come to Israel [despite ongoing political tensions between the Arab world and Israel] say art is above everything."

~~~~~~~~

Alongside arts and crafts, there are also street performances.

What BDS Stands For

2010-08-04T12:47:00.000-07:00

Check out this video documenting the goals of the Palestinian BDS Movement. If someone tells you that BDS is interested in a peaceful resolution to the conflict or in the two state solution, you will have the facts at your disposal here. Michael Totten says it well:

The letters in their acronym stand for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanction. They really ought to add another D for Destroy. Their goal—and they aren’t shy about saying so publicly even in English—isn’t peace between Israelis and Palestinians, which is what all civilized people should want, but the end of Israel.

Attacks on Israel -- No Big Deal

2010-08-03T12:11:00.000-07:00

This cartoon pretty much sums up the news of the past few days. Some of the stories you are not reading about in most news sources are, in the north: an Israeli reserve officer "was murdered by sniper fire in what was apparently a well-planned Lebanese attack" and, in the south, for "the fourth time since rockets have started being fired at the western Negev...the rehabilitation center – which treats handicapped IDF veterans, victims of terrorist attacks, and post-traumatic stress disorder patients – has sustained a direct rocket hit."

Gaza Rocket Hits Israeli City

2010-07-30T13:12:00.000-07:00

Grad in Ashkelon, Friday morning Photo: Tsafrir Abayov

Israel (Reuters) - Palestinian militants in Gaza fired a rocket into Ashkelon on Israel's Mediterranean coast on Friday, blowing out the windows of an apartment block and damaging parked cars in a residential area of the city.

No one was injured in the blast. But the attack ended over a year of calm for the city closest to the enclave ruled by the Islamist Hamas movement and it was likely to trigger a military response by Israel.

A police spokesman said the rocket was a 122 mm Chinese-made Grad, with a heavier payload and greater range than the crude, homemade rockets Gaza militants were launching daily until Israel's three-week military offensive into Gaza 18 months ago.

Is there a particular reason for the renewed terrorism? As in the past, movement toward peace, or in this case peace talks, is a trigger.

Friday's strike coincided with diplomatic efforts to persuade Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that he should advance from indirect negotiations to direct talks with Israel in pursuit of a Middle East peace pact -- which Hamas and other militant and armed Islamist groups in Gaza oppose.

At the same time, it's important to remember that the Israeli naval blockade is designed to keep the flow of arms and rocket material from coming into Gaza.

The attack on Ashkelon also coincided with a demand from the U.N. Human Rights Committee in Geneva that Israel lift its military blockade of Gaza and let an independent fact-finding mission investigate its raid on an aid flotilla on May 31 in which nine activists were killed by Israeli commandos.

Israel has since eased restrictions on imports of food and consumer goods to Gaza but insists that the naval blockade must stay in place to help prevent shipment of weapons, such as Grad missiles, to hostile groups in the enclave.

The blockade apparently helps cut down on the amount of weapons but not on all.

There has been sporadic, and erratic, rocket fire from Gaza since Israel's Operation Cast Lead ended, mostly at smaller Israeli towns closer to the border.

Israeli forces usually respond by launching air strikes against militant targets in Gaza.

And if Israel does respond, you will hear that a cycle of violence is starting up again, that Palestinian grievances naturally lead to rocket attacks. The New York Times actually attached a discussion of a housing dispute in the Old City to its piece on Ashkelon. But even the UN envoy issued a condemnation.

U.N. Special Coordinator Robert Serry said in a statement "indiscriminate rocket fire against civilians is completely unacceptable and constitutes a terrorist attack."

Israel Among Happiest Countries

2010-07-28T11:23:00.000-07:00

Where are people happier: Switzerland, Canada, Australia or Israel?

Trick question. Those are the countries tied for 8th place in the world's happiest countries research conducted by Gallup. The US ranked 14th.

The survey took place between 2005 and 2009 and involved asking thousands of people in 155 countries about their satisfaction with their lives. The results were published in Forbes last week. Here are the top 20 countries:

RANK (BY % THRIVING)	COUNTRY	REGION	PERCENT THRIVING	PERCENT STRUGGLING	PERCENT SUFFERING	DAILY EXPERIENCE
1	Denmark	Europe	82	17	1	7.9
2	Finland	Europe	75	23	2	7.8
3	Norway	Europe	69	31	0	7.9
4	Netherlands	Europe	68	32	1	7.7
4	Sweden	Europe	68	30	2	7.9
6	Costa Rica	Americas	63	35	2	8.1
6	New Zealand	Asia	63	35	2	7.6
8	Australia	Asia	62	35	3	7.5
8	Canada	Americas	62	36	2	7.6
8	Israel	Asia	62	35	3	6.4
8	Switzerland	Europe	62	36	2	7.6
12	Brazil	Americas	58	40	2	7.5
12	Panama	Americas	58	39	3	8.4
14	Austria	Europe	57	40	3	7.7
14	United States	Americas	57	40	3	7.3
16	Belgium	Europe	56	41	3	7.3
17	United Kingdom	Europe	54	44	2	7.4
18	Mexico	Americas	52	43	5	7.7
18	Turkmenistan	Asia	52	47	1	7.5
20	United Arab Emirates	Asia	51	48	1	7.7

Smooth Sailing Turkish Boats at Haifa

2010-07-26T12:38:00.000-07:00

While the Israeli Women's Volleyball team encounters protests in Turkey and, because of security concerns, plays at a stadium cleared of spectators, the Turkish Women's Sailing team--coached by an Israeli--enjoys the World 420 Championship in Haifa.

The sailing event is an International competition, hosted this year in Israel, with teams from all over the world -- Europe, the UK, Asia, South America, USA, Australia. The coach of Turkey's team is Linor Kliger, whose brother, Gidi, is an Olympic sailor and member of the Israeli national team.

"You must separate between politics and sports," Kliger told reporters, adding, "There is no hostility toward me in Turkey."

That Well-Known Israeli Generosity

2010-07-24T14:50:00.000-07:00

Michael J Totten, a journalist who has spent many years writing about the Middle East with depth and fairness, wrote a piece this week about "The Kindness of Israelis." On our first trip to Israel, when we did not know anyone in the country, and unlike Michael Totten were not traveling in a professional capacity, we met people who invited us to meals, offered us places to stay, took us on tours; we were welcomed in a way I have never experienced anywhere. Each trip since then has only increased our appreciation of Israeli hospitality, which as Totten says ought to be more widely acknowledged. Here's the piece published in Commentary:

The warm welcome travelers experience in the Arab world is so well-known it has become a guidebook cliché, but the Arabs have earned it. Their part of the world seems to suffer from no end of grave and serious problems, but a dearth of manners and kindness for strangers isn’t one of them. Everything you have heard about their hospitality code is true. Even first-time visitors who expect it are often astonished — especially Americans who might be used to frosty receptions in Europe.

Less well-known is the hospitality of Israelis. Their reputation is on-par with that of New Yorkers. Aggressive security officials at the airport, yelling taxi drivers, and occasionally abusive wait staff can put people off. That sort of thing, though, accounts for less than 1 percent of my experience when working in Israel.

A few days ago, I announced that I’m leaving for Israel this week now that I’ve finished and sold my book, and the same thing happened that always does when I mention in public that I’m on my way over there. My in-box filled with offers of generous assistance from Israelis whom I’ve never met or even heard of. Most offered to buy me dinner. Some said I could sleep on their couch or in a spare bedroom. A few even offered to show me around, introduce me to people, and set up appointments for me. Some of these offers even showed up in my comments section.

This rarely happens when I go anywhere else in the world. It happens every time I’ve announced a trip to Israel, though, in times of peace and during war, and it has been happening to me for years.

I get these sorts of offers from the entire range of Israeli society, from people affiliated with Peace Now to the settler movement. I can always count on kind and generous people in Arab countries to help me out once I’ve arrived, but only Israelis reach out so extensively, so consistently, and in such large numbers before I even get off the plane.

I’ve never written about this before, but it finally occurred to me that I should, partly because I’m grateful and wish to say thank you in public, but also because general readers should know that Middle Eastern hospitality is a regional thing and isn’t only on offer from Arabs.

The Zionist Imam of Italy

2010-07-22T14:05:00.000-07:00

Here's someone with a peaceful message that should be heard.

He speaks to Fatah officials and is invited by scholars in the moderate Muslim world. He is convinced that as long as Muslims do not accept Israel, Islam will grow increasingly fundamentalist. Only a correctly interpreted Qur’an can ensure peace for Israel, and only a peaceful Israel can salvage Islam.

Islam, according to Palazzi, had been taken over by the Wahabi, the fundamentalist Muslim brotherhoods that were (and still are) supported by the Saudi princes. “Every year,” says Palazzi, “the Saudis put millions of dollars in the pockets of those radical brotherhoods for an extremist struggle in the guise of Islam. The influence of Wahabism on the contemporary Arab world is such that many Arab Muslims are wrongly convinced that in order to be a good Muslim one must hate Israel.”

But this, according to Palazzi, is a new phenomenon. “When you look at when Israel was forming, the process was not considered contrary to Islam.

Originally there was a secular opposition. It turned into a religious conflict because those opposing a state of Israel knew their position was stronger when fortified with religion.”

During his research on the origins of Islamic extremism he found that “those who oppose Wahabism are actually in favor of Israel.”

read the rest at the Jerusalem Post

Record Breaking Tourism in Israel

2010-07-21T11:04:00.000-07:00

Between January and June this year a record breaking number of tourists -- 1.6 million -- visited Israel -- a 39% increase from last year. Smart tourists!

And to bring in even more tourists, the Tel Aviv municipality and the Ministry of Tourism have a new campaign especially for Gay/Lesbian travellers.

Yaniv Weissman, an adviser to Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai said that the "Gay Vibe" campaign was not intended to change the city – "rather, it was an effort to expose the international gay community to an already thriving gay scene there.

There already is a gay vibe in Tel Aviv, he said."

And, of course, it's the only place in the Middle East that would create this kind of advertising campaign. That, in itself, is a good reason to visit Israel.

First Get Free Israeli Medical Care, Then Attack

2010-07-20T11:00:00.000-07:00

from IMRA

On 22 June 2010, the IDF, ISA and Israel Police arrested the Hamas terrorist cell responsible for the killing of policeman Shuki Sofer during a shooting attack on 14 June 2010, on route 60 near the Israeli community of Otni’el. Two other policemen were injured in the incident.
It should be noted that one of the members of the terror cell admitted during questioning that two weeks prior to the attack, he had accompanied his 6 year old daughter to the Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem, where she had tumor removed. The operation had been paid for in full by an Israeli charity foundation.

Fascinating. The Israelis provide free medical care to this individual's daughter, and his response is terror?

As the blog, Elder of Ziyon points out, such events are not unique. Here, a Palestinian mother from Gaza, whose infant son’s life was being saved at an Israeli hospital, explains that she hopes to see her son get well so that he can someday perpetrate a suicide bombing attack in Jerusalem.

Gaza Mall Opens--Send in a Flotilla

2010-07-18T20:17:00.000-07:00

We're pretty sure that most people will be surprised to learn that a beautiful, new shopping mall opened this weekend in Gaza. We think it's great that Gazans have a nice new place to shop.

Guess there must be a lot of building supplies--and everything else--available in Gaza after all. For the Gaza Mall webpage and more photos click here.

Fatah Rejects Direct Talks

2010-07-17T21:02:00.000-07:00

Fatah spokesperson Muhammad Dahlan announced that Fatah had rejected the US's offer Saturday to broker direct talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. The offer was advanced by US Middle East Envoy George Mitchell in a meeting earlier Saturday with PA President Mahmoud Abbas.

This means that Mahmoud Abbas is avoiding direct talks with Israel because of the issues that are the reason to have direct talks. Further, all of these issues--the ones that apparently now need to be be resolved before direct talks can take place--are issues that have been, in the past, part of the discussion in direct talks between the Israeli and Palestinian leadership.
In fact, the pre-conditions that Abbas seems to want now would have been entirely resolved had the PA accepted what was offered at the Camp David conference in 2000 (100% Gaza, 95% of West Bank, some Palestinian right of return and east Jerusalem as their capital) and then at Taba in 2001 (100% of Gaza, 97% of West Bank and land swaps to compensate, some Palestinian right of return, and an east Jerusalem capital).

As Yaacov Lozowick explains in Right To Exist, the Palestinian violence that came after the Camp David conference in which Yasser Arafat rejected the Israeli offer and provided no counter-offer was for nothing, since the Palestinians could have gotten everything they were asking for at the negotiation table.

Then, as now, there really doesn't seem to be a "peace partner" among the PA leadership.

Michael Oren and Aspen Ideas

2010-07-16T13:56:00.000-07:00

A must see video of Israel's Ambassador, Michael Oren. Skip to the end for his explanation of Israel's ability to show "restraint," which Oren says is so extreme at times as to be almost "pathological." Other highlights include his discussion of the flotilla incident, his comments on the founding of the state of Israel, and his description of that meeting in which Obama is said to have "snubbed" Netanyahu. Guess what? It didn't happen at all the way it was reported. Jeffrey Goldberg asks great questions and he's also very funny.

Ambassador Michael Oren with Jeffrey Goldberg at the Aspen Ideas Institute

Johnny Rotten Comes to Israel!

2010-07-15T21:08:00.000-07:00

Like the true anti- government person that he is, Johnny Rotten is able to distinguish between governments and the citizens of a country. It's a concept that musicians like Elvis Costello and The Pixies can’t seem to grasp.

from 21C Israelity blog:

Imagine throwing a notorious ex-punk rocker like John Lydon, better known perhaps as Johnny Rotten of 1970s punk shockers The Sex Pistols, into the volatile Israeli cultural mix.

Johnny Rotten in Mea She’arim, Johnny Rotten at the Kotel, or maybe Johnny Rotten shopping in the shuk. That deliciously juxtaposed scene may come to be next month, when Lydon, considerably older but still feisty, brings his revamped post-Pistols band Public Image Ltd. to Israel for the first time.

Lydon’s performance at the Heineken Music Conference 2010 Festival in Tel Aviv on August 31 is already causing waves, with the usual suspects calling on the rock provocateur to cancel, like earlier moves by Elvis Costello and the Pixies, among others.

But the protesters didn’t take into account Lydon’s contrary personality – after all he used to be a punk. Speaking this week to BBC’s Music 6 program, Lydon said that instead of boycotting Israel, he’s planning on creating his own brand of anarchy in the UK during his visit here.

“Of course, there are all sorts of terrible politics going on down there but there is just about all over the world,” Lydon said. “You cannot separate yourself from your audience because of the political powers-that-be. I mean, I’m anti-government—I have been all my life no matter where I go—and I shall be making that loud and clearly proud once I’m in Israel.”

Lydon dismissed calls for him to stay away, saying that his presence in Israel will be his own form of protest.

“We’ve received a lot of hate mail, as it happens, [That] going to Israel is some kind of political faux pas. I say, ‘Don’t be so ignorant – it’s John speaking here and I’m going there to cause trouble and I will do it musically.’”

So whether we see Lydon out setting garbage bins on fire with the haredim, or joining the anti-wall protesters at Bi’lin, his visit here will undoubtedly be memorable. That is, unless he decides to stay in his comfortable five-star hotel.

Expert Opinion on Israeli Peace

2010-07-14T11:52:00.000-07:00

One of the very best books out there for understanding Israel's history and situation -- and beautifully written -- is Yaacov Lozowick's, Right to Exist. What he has to say should be taken seriously. And here is his current assessment:

a simple, stark image, which says far better than any potential set of 1000-words why there can't be peace:
That's Tel Aviv, as seen from the West Bank. Would you risk putting enemy guns on the hill the picture was taken from? And if you would, can you at least comprehend why we're not going to take your opinion very seriously, even if you're the president of the United States?"

Continue reading here for some of Lozowick's most recent thoughts on "Why there won't be peace anytime soon."

New Books on Oldest Hatred

2010-07-06T18:44:00.000-07:00

In the New York Times, Edward Rothstein reviews new books on anti-Semitism making clear that now is a very good time to pay attention to the features of this oldest hatred.

Anti-Semitism never sees itself as a hatred; it views itself as a revelation. An attack on the Jew is never offensive; it is always defensive. This is precisely how the Nazis portrayed it. It is precisely how Islamist ideology does as well, evident, for example, in the principles and founding documents of Hamas and Hezbollah.

In a recent book, “Nazi Propaganda for the Arab World” (Yale), the historian Jeffrey Herf shows how Nazi propagandists literally taught Arab audiences the language of anti-Semitism through popular radio programs in Arabic. Nazi ideology bears many resemblances to that of contemporary Islamic extremism, some the consequence of careful teaching. That teaching is still present in the Arab world, amplified by political leaders and imams, often annexed to denigrations of Jews taken from Islamic sources.

Rothstein identifies the ways in which extreme criticism of Israel that has nothing to do with Israeli policy grows from this same hatred.

There is a wildly exaggerated scale of condemnation, in which extremes of contempt confront a country caricatured as the world’s worst enemy of peace; such attacks (and the use of Nazi analogies) are beyond evidence and beyond pragmatic political debate or protest. Israel’s autonomy — it’s very presence — is the problem. Mr. Julius writes, “Israel is the only state in the world whose legitimacy is widely denied and whose destruction is publicly advocated and threatened; Israelis are the only citizens of a state whose indiscriminate murder is widely considered justifiable.”

The review ends with the important point that anti-Semitism is not simply a fear or bias like many more recent "phobias."

..anti-Semitism requires much deeper understanding than it usually gets. Last week, for example, Hannah Rosenthal, the United States’ special envoy to monitor and combat anti-Semitism, spoke in Kazakhstan, asserting the similarity of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.

This is not an uncommon assertion (and cases of unwarranted discrimination are always similar) but Islamophobia is a concept developed within the last two decades by those who wish to elevate Islam’s reputation in the West; anti-Semitism was a concept eagerly embraced and expanded by haters of Jews. One was constructed by a group’s supporters, the other by a group’s enemies.

Moreover, much of what is characterized as Islamophobia today arises out of taking seriously the impassioned claims of doctrinal allegiance made by Islamic terrorist groups and their supporters. Anti-Semitism, though, has nothing to do with any claims at all.

Thelma and Louise Revisit

2010-07-03T17:42:00.000-07:00

Watched Thelma and Louise last night at my son's request. He and the movie are both 19 years old.

He loved the film and I realized how completely etched into my mind was every scene, though I'm not sure that I saw the film more than one time after it was released.

In 19 years a lot has changed. My son and his friends see those "kick ass" women as heroes. I told him that as I remember it, the film, in spite of some awards, was considered a "chick flick." He found that ridiculous.

Of course, in 19 years a great deal has stayed the same, has maybe even gotten worse, or we know more about how bad it is: "honor "killings, genital mutilation of girls, "human" trafficking, and countries like Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates where rape victims are the ones punished.

In the USA, according to the organization, One in Four, one out of every four college women is the victim of a rape or attempted rape.

Better make Thelma and Louise required viewing.

Thelma: "I know, it's crazy but I just feel like I got a knack for this shit."
Louise: "I believe you do."

"Why this flaming liberal is pro-Israel..."

2010-06-29T15:29:00.000-07:00

Sharon Cobb, former NBC Nightly News contributor, explains why she is a supporter of Israel:

I’ve talked until I am blue in the face about why I am pro Israel, and I get more grief from my fellow liberals than anyone else.

Yes, the Palestinians live in terrible conditions in Gaza. But why do you blame Israel? Just the U.S. alone sent 50 million to improve conditions in Gaza when Arafat was the Chairman of the PLO, and coincidentally, he died with 50 million in his bank account in Paris in his wife’s name. The leader of the Palestinian people stole the money the U.S. sent to improve conditions…
I’ve posed this question before: If your next door neighbor repeatedly told you he is going to kill you, would you say “Okay,” or would you defend yourself and even take offensive measures to keep your family safe?

read the rest here

Of Semites and Semantics

2010-06-27T14:38:00.000-07:00

For blatant display of Jew-hatred on a public university campus, this month's award goes to Jumanah Imad Albahri of the Muslim Students' Association at UC San Diego. The punchline of Albahri's exchange with David Horowitz during his guest lecture does leave one gasping...unless, of course, you are someone who responds to the topic of Jewish genocide with "for it."

The UCSD Muslim Students' Association, a graduate student/instructor who had Albahri in a class, and Albahri herself, quickly posted responses, apparently attempting to explain away the conversation that is visible and audible on YouTube.

These postings are revealing. In various ways, all three statements ask us to not hear what we have heard, not see what we have seen.

They direct our attention away from the event to the claim that there is a "smear campaign" against Albahri, to the MSA's stand "for justice," to the assertion that the student is "for peace" and that her expressed views could not possibly be anti-Semitic. After all, Jumanah Imad Albahri says she is "a Semite." These linguistic ploys try to turn the aggressor into a victim and work to contort the plain sense of words.

Horowitz: I am a Jew. The head of Hezbollah has said that he hopes that we will gather in Israel so he doesn't have to hunt us down globally. For or against it?

Albahri: For it.

In its press release, the UCSD Muslim Students' Association does not specifically address Albarhri's comments, but it does take care not to be held responsible, explaining that "no single member of our student organization can speak exclusively on behalf of our MSA." Most of their statement focuses on why they proudly sponsor anti-Israel week on campus. They offer no gesture toward those who are offended, even horrified, by what we have heard. Instead, they use general terms and, without discussing what Albahri said, take the occasion to decry "indiscriminate murder" by the Israeli military:

We thus condemn the loss of all innocent lives, as well as all groups, whether state or non-state actors, that advocate and perpetuate the killing of innocent civilians. Specifically, we condemn all Palestinian factions that have rejoiced in the killing of innocent Israeli civilians just as much as we condemn the indiscriminate murder of hundreds of innocent Palestinian civilians during Israeli military aggression.

Likewise, the graduate student/instructor posting on David Horowitz's blog does not denounce Hamas, Hezbollah, or the killing of Jews, but uses the same generalized language as the Muslim Students' Association: "I do not support any organization that advocates violence against any specific group, nor do I believe that my student would do so."

Then, perhaps because what we see in the video obviously conflicts with this assertion, the instructor makes Horowitz the problem: "I'm saddened that this speaker -- her elder -- manipulated the conversation in this fashion to make her look like someone she isn't, out of an egotistical desire to prove his own point[.]"

The instructor, as Michael J. Toten writes in Commentary, "when confronted by a person with a clearly and explicitly stated genocidal ideology, prefers to lambaste that person's rational critics."

And Jumanah Imad Albahri responds to her own words. She says that no, she is not "for genocide of Jews or anyone" but rather "for" Hamas, sort of. Then she proceeds to blame Horowitz for everything from "confusing" to "attempting to vilify" and silence her.

We can only hope that with the omnipresence of video cameras at public events and the availability of YouTube, most people will simply trust their own eyes and ears.

originally published in American Thinker

Gilad Shalit: Four Years of Captivity

2010-06-25T12:44:00.000-07:00

Today starts the fifth year of Gilad Shalit' s imprisonment. Not a single visit from the Red Cross or any other humanitarian organization. Silence about Shalit when the blockade on Gaza is discussed, as if the rockets from Hamas and the abducting of Shalit were not the cause for the blockade.

To those genuinely concerned about the fate of Gaza's 1.5 million residents, the emphasis on the fate of one Israeli might seem distorted. But the circumstances under which Shalit was abducted, and two of his fellow soldiers were killed, cut to the root cause of suffering of all Israelis and Palestinians.

Shalit was attacked while guarding a place called Kerem Shalom (Vineyard of Peace), one of half a dozen border crossings that enable commerce between Israel and Gaza. For years, facilities like Kerem Shalom have been attacked repeatedly by Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and other Palestinian terror groups precisely because they foster exchanges between Israelis and Palestinians.

continue here

No Humanitarians On Board

2010-06-18T12:08:00.000-07:00

Tell the Facts About the Flotilla

2010-06-03T14:47:00.000-07:00

Letter to the Editor. (Feel free to send it as your own.)

Please help your readers to know what is plainly visible on YouTube: Israeli servicemen carrying painbtball guns for crowd control instead encountered a prepared ambush. The servicemen were beaten savagely—each one isolated and surrounded by a group of protesters with iron clubs, knives and pistols--as they boarded the Turkish flagship of a flotilla heading illegally into Gaza. The Israeli and Egyptian governments block access to Gaza so they can monitor the flow of weapons. Since Israel left Gaza in 2005, more than 10,000 rockets and smaller missles have been fired by Hamas and its supporters into Israeli cities and farms. Every week, Israel delivers 15,000 tons of humanitarian aid to Gaza, and Israel repeatedly offered to transfer the aid from the flotilla as well. Yet, the group refused. Five of the six flotilla ships accompanied the Israeli Navy to the open port at Ashdod without incident. But, on the sixth ship were people who, it is now clear, are tied to terrorist groups. YouTube videos show members of the flotilla promoting violent “martyrdom.” Sadly, some people on these ships may have been duped into believing they were joining a “peace” mission.

America Hearts Israel

2010-03-10T14:10:00.001-08:00

In fifth place, after Canada, UK, Japan and Germany is Israel on a Gallup poll asking Americans whether they have a favorable or unfavorable impression of the 20 countries that show up the most in the news. Given the bad press and media focus on Israel, this is very impressive.

And, at the same time, Israel's adversaries are viewed very unfavorably.

When you look closely at the findings, the news is even more impressive. (Click here for one analysis.) Israel ranked fifth, with a 67% favorable rating overall, but is third, behind only Canada and Great Britain in the “very favorable” impression category (with 22%).

Gallup also breaks down the results by age groups and there isn’t the gap we most often hear about between younger and older Americans. 63% of 18-34 year-olds have a favorable impression of Israel, as compared to 67% favorable for those over 35 and 70% for those over 55.

There is one big disparity, though.

Only 53% of Democrats vs 80% of Republicans say they have a favorable impression of Israel.

Jew on Campus: Aparthaid Week

2010-03-08T12:58:00.000-08:00

Have there been any studies of the impact of Israel aparthaid week on Jewish students? I don't expect any to be forthcoming since Jews are not a "protected" minority. But the assertion that Israel aparthaid week is intentionally harmful to Jewish students (as well as staff and faculty) needs to be made even if no one with authority to reign in this hatefest is listening.

It is worth asking, in a public way, who is most affected by the demonization of Israel on campus, by the banners that place an equal sign between swistikas and the mogan David, by speakers shouting that the Jewish state is "satanic" and that Israelis are "baby killers"? Who is affected by the lack of campus concern about what clearly would be considered hate speech if directed at any other people? When a walk across campus means that one is surrounded by the outrageous claim that democractic Israel is an "aparthaid" country, "some Jewish students will choose to stay home. "

Ironically, of course, Arabs and Jews have the same civil rights in Israel, civil rights that aren't allowed to women, gays, and Christians in Arab countries. Jews, obviously, cannot live in most Arab countries at all. It is Jews who are not allowed in Gaza or in the parts of historical Israel that are now the Palestinian Authority. The whole premise of Israel aparthaid week is a lie.

(It's not a week, either--it's two weeks! I have no idea why.)

The most direct effect of this lie seems to be intimidation of Jews on campus.

McGill Professor Yael Halevi-Wise writes, "To me, it feels like German Jews must have felt on the eve of Kristallnacht -- I feel threatened, anxious, afraid..."

Guess that's the point.