No one blinked - Netanyahu canceled meeting with German FM Gabriel
German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel went ahead with this meetings with extreme anti-Israel groups B'Tselem and Breaking the Silence (and another one to boot) and Prime Minister Netanyahu followed through on his threat to cancel his meeting with Gabriel.
Israeli official says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has canceled meeting with visiting German foreign minister. https://t.co/8eBcJhdq8g
Netanyahu's office said the prime minister wouldn't meet with foreign
dignitaries who meet "groups that slander IDF soldiers as war
criminals," referring to Breaking the Silence, a whistleblower group
critical of Israeli military actions in the West Bank.
The German minister, Sigmar Gabriel, was set to meet with members of
the organization during his visit to Israel and said Netanyahu's
cancellation was "relatively surprising" since such meetings were
"rather standard" for foreign diplomats.
Gabriel said he didn't want to be turned into "a plaything for
Israeli domestic politics," using unusually frank language in light of
the sensitive nature of Israel-Germany ties.
Israel and Germany have had a long, close and complicated
relationship. Israel was established in 1948 in the wake of the
Holocaust, when Nazi Germany killed 6 million Jews. The countries only
established diplomatic relations in 1965.
Today, Germany is a key Israeli trade partner and ally in Europe, and
assumes responsibility for the crimes committed during the Holocaust.
Both Gabriel and former president Joachim Gauck took part in Holocaust
memorial events in Israel on Monday.
When he met with Rivlin, Gabriel
called the Holocaust "the most criminal action we did in the history of
humankind."
But tensions occasionally flare up over Israeli policies toward the
Palestinians, as well as settlement construction in the occupied West
Bank and Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem. Germany, along with most of the
international community, considers Israeli settlements illegal.
...
Netanyahu's office said that foreign dignitaries are welcome to meet
with civil society representatives, but that the prime minister "will
not meet with those who lend legitimacy to organizations that call for
the criminalization of Israeli soldiers."
But Germany more than any other country appears to be obsessed with financing the establishment of a 'Palestinian state,' and many ordinary Germans appear to be determined to finish the job that Adolph Hitler started. This is from a 2013 review of Tuvia Tenenboim's I Sleep in Hitler's Room.
Then, Tuvia and Isi schlepped their sacks full of
laughs and chutzpah and important ideas from one German city to another.
He had not intended to write about Jews at all. He had been
commissioned to write about Germany Today. “But the subject of Jews and
Israel kept coming up. It turned out to be a German obsession. Everyone
wanted to talk about it, fight about it.”
According
to Tuvia, the Turks and Muslims in Germany hate Jews. But so do the
Germans. “At least the Muslims are open about it. The Germans deny and
deny and then fly into a rage.” The German peace-loving, progressive
left - including “the feminists who believe in women’s liberation,” -
is colluding with Muslims who veil their women, keep them in the
kitchen, and refuse them prayer access in the mosque.
“The Germans can’t look at themselves in the mirror.”
I (and others) have written about the nature of
European Jew-hatred for many years now, especially about why Europeans
are ostensibly embracing the violent and hostile “Semites” among them
after having murdered six million of their assimilated or non-violent
“Semites.” European Jew-hatred still expresses itself by taking the
“Palestinian” side against the evil, Nazi Israeli Jews. They can feel
guilt-free, superior—even justified in having murdered so many Jews.
“They
don’t know the names of their own political leaders, but they hang
photos of Mahmud Abbas in their offices and march for Palestine. They do
not care about what Putin did in Chechnya. They care only about
Palestine.”
Tuvia took this message across
Germany. The young people of Germany wanted to hear him speak and
crowded the auditoriums. And they bought his book in record numbers. He
told them: “Hitler understood the Germans. He said: You hate them (the
Jews). Okay. Let’s kill them. Let’s act on what we believe.”
I'd bet that Gabriel thinks the same way. If the shoe fits....
Who will blink first - Netanyahu or German Foreign Minister?
Prime Minister Netanyahu is scheduled to meet today with German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel. Last night, Netanyahu issued an ultimatum saying he would cancel the meeting if Gabriel did not cancel meetings he has scheduled with European-financed anti-Israel NGO's. At first, it was reported that Netanyahu was referring to 'Peace Now,' but it now appears that it's even worse: Gabriel proposes to meet with B'Tselem and 'Breaking the Silence,' both of which are guilty of libeling Israel on the international stage.
“It’s time to make clear to Germany that we too have red lines,” the official told Arutz Sheva.
“If it was a low-level meeting, it might have looked different. But
when the Foreign Minister comes here and goes to meet with organizations
that are working against the government's policy and against the Prime
Minister's policy, this is unacceptable."
“The Prime Minister would never come to a country like Britain or
Germany, where there are organizations that are working against the
government's policy, and meet with the heads of those organizations. How
would that country react if he did? There is significance to such a
meeting held by a foreign minister,” the source continued.
Gabriel apparently plans to go ahead with his meetings with the anti-Israel organizations.
German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel responded
to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ultimatum on Tuesday,
saying that it would be "regrettable" if the latter decides to cancel
their meeting because the Gabriel's meeting with representatives of
left-wing Israeli organizations.
Speaking to German TV
network ZDF, Gabriel defined his planned meetings with representatives
of B'Tselem and Breaking the Silence and "totally normal."
Gabriel said that he
had only learned of Netanyahu's threat from the media and noted it
would be "inconceivable" for the German minister to cancel a meeting
with the Israeli leader if the latter met with figures critical of the
German government. He nevertheless said that "it wouldn't be a
catastrophe" if their meeting is cancelled, and that it wouldn't change
his ties with Israel.
"You never get the full picture of any state in the world if you just meet with figures in government ministries," he said.
Netanyahu’s ultimatum to Gabriel was backed on Monday by Deputy
Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely (Likud), who said she "backs the Prime
Minister's decision to set a red line regarding anti-Israel
organizations such as B'Tselem and Breaking the Silence. This is an
important struggle against those who defame Israel in the world."
MK Yoav Kisch (Likud), who heads the Knesset House Committee,
expressed support for Netanyahu’s move as well, saying, "The German
Foreign Minister and any other leader who wants to meet those who spread
poison against Israel must understand: Legitimizing hatred of Israel is
out of the question."
But of course the opposition thinks Netanyahu should meet with Gabriel anyway.
In my not so humble opinion, Gabriel ought to be declared persona non grata if he goes ahead with the meetings with Breaking the Silence and B'Tselem. The European - and particularly German (read I Sleep in Hitler's Room) - obsession with finishing the job that Hitler started (God Forbid) needs to be met head on. Especially on the day after Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Exposed: 'Breaking the Silence' collects intelligence on the IDF - Does it reach their European masters?
Greetings from Boston where I have been working all week, and where the Sabbath does not start for several more hours. I will be here until Sunday morning. Sunday is a travel day, but I'm not heading back to Israel just yet. I'm heading West... (and should have WiFi access on the plane, so you may see a few more posts on Sunday). And for those who watch the weather reports, it looks like I will once again escape a serious winter snowstorm by the skin of my teeth, God Willing.
For those of you who have forgotten 'Breaking the Silence,' they are an organization that claims to be dedicated to exposing IDF abuses of 'Palestinians' in Judea and Samaria. They are funded by European governments, by the European Union (which awarded them the prestigious Andrei Sakharov prize) and by private American citizens (as well as by UNICEF and OxFam). Br'eaking the Silence' interviews discharged IDF soldiers and debriefs them regarding their IDF service. Or so they claim. It now seems that they do a lot more.
You might recall that recently, an organization called Ad Kan (Until Here) turned over video evidence to Israel's Channel 10 about human rights violations by 'human rights' groups Taayush and B'Tselem.Spreading the wealth, the group handed over material on 'Breaking the Silence' to Israel's Channel 2, which reported on it Thursday night (link and video in Hebrew). The material shows that 'Breaking the Silence' is collecting military intelligence which has no connection to 'human rights' violations in Judea and Samaria or anyplace else. And the unanswered question is 'with whom does 'Breaking the Silence' share that intelligence material?' That intelligence material could clearly and presently endanger the State of Israel.
In its investigation, Channel 2 cited unpublished testimonies from
Israeli soldiers that were obtained by the right-wing NGO Ad Kan, which
sent some of its members to join Breaking the Silence undercover. The
report claimed that Breaking the Silence collected “operational and
intelligence” information about IDF activities from both current and
former soldiers.
Channel 2 also broadcast videos of Breaking the Silence asking
soldiers “questions [that] appear to revolve more around their
operational activity rather issues regarding Palestinians and human
rights.”
While Breaking the Silence says it gathers anonymous testimonies from
Israeli soldiers about the IDF’s purported human rights abuses, these
testimonies have been previously criticized as being unsubstantiated and lacking context. In recent months, the group has come under increased scrutiny over the ethics of its practices.
In the wake of the new Channel 2 report, Breaking the Silence denied
any wrongdoing and emphasized that it works closely with Israel’s
military censor. Breaking the Silence CEO Yuli Novak added that several
organizations and members of the Knesset were trying “to silence” her
group.
And it seems that the next group to come under scrutiny may be 'rabbis' for 'human rights.'
The broadcast became headline news and the fallout
continued for weeks. Nawi was arrested at Ben-Gurion Airport when he
tried to flee the country.
A few days later, a follow-up program aired
more hidden-camera footage, this time showing Nawi with officials from
two other prominent “human rights” NGOs—Breaking the Silence (BtS) and
Rabbis for Human Rights (RHR). Both groups were shown giving money to
Nawi, who then handed out checks to Palestinians, apparently for taking
part in violent demonstrations. RHR claimed that Nawi was paid for
providing transportation services. BtS denounced everyone involved in
the program as “Stasi,” a reference to the notorious East German
intelligence service.
Steinberg observed that even before the broadcast of Nawi with
representatives of Breaking the Silence, there was growing criticism of
the group across the political spectrum in Israel.
Prior to the Uvda broadcasts, BtS and its patrons were
the particular focus of growing anger among many Israelis on the Right,
center, and even the center-Left. This anger followed a major jump in
the visibility of BtS, which reflected the group’s million- dollar
budget. BtS events in churches, universities, and national parliaments
around the world featured “anonymous testimony” that alleged systematic
immorality by IDF soldiers, with no corroborating evidence.
In response, hundreds of IDF reserve officers petitioned the Minister
of Defense, demanding that BtS activists be barred from speaking on
military bases. In parallel, relatives of terror victims and fallen
soldiers demanded that Education Minister Naftali Bennett prohibit BtS
from speaking to high school students. NGOs like B’Tselem were also
criticized. On Israel’s popular Saturday night satire program Gav Hauma,
host Lior Schleien did a ten-minute routine based on the issue,
primarily lampooning BtS and related NGOs.
I'm amazed that B'Tselem is allowed to speak on military bases.... But what Professor Steinberg says about anger coming from 'even the center-Left' is true. Yesh Atid party leader Yair Lapid has accused 'Breaking the Silence' of digging under the foundations of the State of Israel, and causing it both internal and external damage (link in Hebrew).
For those of you wondering why Israel feels the need to stop foreign governments from financing its NGO's, this is another data point.
Ezra Nawi, an Israeli Jewish plumber, has a long history as a left-wing activist helping Palestinians in their struggle against Israel’s occupation of the West Bank. Now he is under arrest in Israel, after a right-wing activist surreptitiously filmed him bragging about exposing Arab brokers who tried to sell Palestinian land to Jewish settlers. Such sales are a capital crime under Palestinian law.
Considered
variously as a big-mouthed provocateur and a colorful human-rights
adventurer, Mr. Nawi has become the latest symbol in the battle between
advocacy groups on opposite sides of Israel’s political spectrum, and
the increasingly fierce debate here over the nature of Israeli society
and democracy.
The debate has heated up as Israel’s conservative government is pushing
forward contentious legislation that would require nongovernmental
organizations to disclose funding they receive from foreign governments
in their publications, advertising and meetings with public officials.
The proposed bill, which supporters say is meant to increase
transparency, would apply mainly to leftist groups critical of Israel’s
policy toward the Palestinians, since rightist groups mostly receive
private funding from abroad, and it has already drawn harsh criticism
from the Obama administration and European diplomats.
No, this story is not about the NGO law, which the Times so hates. It's about yet another Leftist fascist who thinks he has the right to endanger other people's lives.
It
is an odd case. Mr. Nawi, described in a 2009 New York Times profile as
“the Robin Hood of the South Hebron Hills,” helping Palestinians who
love him and “thwarting settlers and soldiers who view him with
contempt,” is now accused of endangering the lives of Palestinians. That
is because selling land to Israeli Jews is punishable by death
according to the Palestinian Authority. Although the authority is not
known to have carried out any executions for any offense in more than a
decade, there have been reports of torture in its prisons.
The
Ad Kan video, from about a year ago, shows Mr. Nawi behind the wheel of
his jeep, bragging about what appeared to be a dubious sideline to his
activist work in the West Bank.
He told the man sitting next to him, whom he believed to be a fellow
sympathizer, that he sometimes posed as a land broker and engaged with
other land dealers mediating sales of Palestinian-owned land to Jewish
settlers, then handed over their details to the Palestinian Authority
security services.
Asked what the Authority did with such people, Mr. Nawi said it “catches them and kills them.”
Days later, he was arrested at the airport as he was about to leave the country.
Odd? Not to anyone who knows the history of Israel's prosecutorial regime burying charges against the Left. Only by gathering evidence so convincing that even the Left-leaning Uvda had to run with it or lose all credibility could Nawi's disgusting behavior be exposed.
There is a story here. Too bad it's not the one the Times chose to tell.
Jewish Voice for 'peace' seeks to free accessory to murder
Israel Radio reported this morning that a Jew and a 'Palestinian' - both 'peace activists' - are being held for meeting with an enemy foreign agent.
While the radio did not disclose who they are, the uber-Leftist Jew-haters at Jewish Voice for 'peace' are petitioning for his release (if you think my description of JVP is an overstatement, go here).
If you're wondering why this Jewish-born drek is being held, go here.
Hazan says that he condemns the electrical short circuit and says that it's forbidden to issue blanket condemnations of all the electricity in the country.
Video with English translation of Ezra Nawi saying he turns 'Palestinian' land sellers over for torture and death
Thursday night's video showing Leftist 'human rights' activists Ezra Nawi and Nasser Najawa ran 44 minutes long. Now, StandWithUs has translated two of the key minutes into English (subtitles).
Let's go to the videotape.
Palestinians deserve the freedom to make decisions about their own property. Those who consider themselves Palestinian...
Posted by StandWithUs on Sunday, January 10, 2016
By the way, I hope the gentleman referred to in the video as 'Arik' (the one who did the recording) is well-hidden. Nawi undoubtedly knows who he is and surely wants to have him killed.
Israel's Left is circling the wagons around two of its own. Ta'ayush's Ezra Nawi (pictured) and B'Tselem's Nasser Nawaja were shown on Israeli television on Thursday night telling a Right wing activist with a hidden camera that they turn over 'Palestinians' who wish to sell land to Jews to the 'Palestinian security forces' for torture and death.
Although the story has gotten little exposure outside of Israel, here it's all the rage. Over the weekend, Israel's hard left has been circling the wagons to defend Nawi and Nawaja.
Both Nawi and Nawaja are among the most internationally renowned
members of Israel’s radical left. Earlier this year, Nawaja published an
anti-Israeli op-ed in The New York Times,
accusing the Jewish state of “dispossession and oppression.” Nawi is
considerably more prominent: when he was arrested, in 2007, for
attacking Israeli policemen during a West Bank demonstration, more than
20,000 people—including a long list of prominent Israeli academics as
well as progressive American celebrities like Noam Chomsky and Naomi
Klein—signed a petition demanding his release.
Responding to the piece with a statement on its Facebook page,
B’Tselem said that while it opposed tortures and executions, reporting
Palestinians interested in selling land to Israelis to the PA was “the
only legitimate course of action.”
These revelations comes at an inopportune moment for the two NGOs, as
the Israeli government is considering measures to regulate non-profit
organizations receiving financial support from foreign governments. Ta’ayush,
according to the Jerusalem-based group NGO-Monitor, receives some
foreign donations but does not disclose its funding.
B’Tselem, on the
other hand, is considered one of Israel’s leading civil rights
organizations, and receives financial support from
the governments of Sweden, Switzerland, Denmark, the Netherlands,
Norway, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom, as well as the European
Union and the New Israel Fund.
Amazingly, B'Tselem, a favored grantee of the American non-profit organization The New Israel Fund, defended the action portrayed on today’s show, claiming that “This is the only legitimate channel for a Palestinian.”
Israel’s Education Minister Naftali Bennett accused the
New Israel Fund and the European Union of funding Israeli human rights
activists who turn in innocent Palestinians, and later urged foreign
ambassadors to Israel to stop transferring funds to these organizations.
(Both, B’Tselem and Ta’ayush receive funding from France and the United Kingdom, as well as from American Jews.)
Ta’ayush has in the past partnered with Rabbis for Human Rights
– of which Rabbi Gordon Tucker of Temple Israel of White Plains is a
donor - to bring “hundreds of volunteers to work side-by-side with
Palestinian farmers during Olive Harvest campaign.”
The pushback from the Left has been so fierce that even journalists like Maariv's Ben Caspit and Haaretz's Barak Ravid (both Leftists themselves) have criticized the Left wing organizations for not disavowing Nawi and Nawaja (links in Hebrew).
Of course, then there are the real Jew haters, like Gideon Levy, who still has a platform at Haaretz.
In a report on left-wing groups which operate in the West Bank, Uvda aired secretly recorded footage
of Israeli activist Ezra Nawi saying that he had exposed Palestinian
land brokers who sold West Bank land to Jews, and turned them over to
the Palestinian Authority.The right wing and the settlers celebrated the
event of course. Another outpost has fallen into their hands. They have
already compared the left-wing activist Nawi to the Duma murderers, no
less. The rightists and settlers, known for their deep concern about the
lives of Palestinians, were shocked by Nawi’s statements. But the right
is not the story. The story is how a lethal virus has penetrated what
is almost the last outpost of real journalism.
How has a McCarthyist right-wing organization, whose motives are
clear (and despicable) and whose sources are unknown, succeeded with
such ease in enticing such respected journalists as Ilana Dayan and Omri
Assenheim? How has this flagship joined the ranks of the false
propaganda which masquerades as journalism?
That is how to conduct delegitimization. That is how it is done to
liberal organizations in the darkest of regimes, and now here too, and
on Uvda – no less.
Presenting the human rights organizations as dangerous groups, and
penetrating them, is compared to penetrating ISIS. The McCarthyists are
glorified, depicted as heroes of Israel who excelled in battles in Gaza.
All these are well-known ploys. And against this background, all that
is left is to record Nawi boasting, to catch him uttering the taboo
words, to present him as a “senior” activist, to ignore the entire
context — the crimes of the occupation and the expulsion form the
Southern Hebron Hills, which you never heard about on Uvda. Just ignore
the holy work done by left-wing activists in this battered region, spice
it with a few lies such as “execution” by the Palestinian Authority,
add a few generalizations, suspicions and slander – and the dish is
ready.
To those of you with even the slightest suspicion that Levy is onto something, I suggest that you go watch the video of Thursday night's broadcast (it's in Hebrew only, but I summarized it here). It doesn't get much more clear cut. Nawi and Najawa turned 'Palestinians' who wanted to sell land to Jews ('Palestinians' whose existence the Israeli Left denies) over to the 'Palestinian security services' for torture and murder. And they did it with a sadistic smile.
'Human rights' organizations @taayush and @btselem turn 'Palestinian' land seller over to 'Palestinian security services' for torture
For those who can, I strongly recommend watching the original report (44 minutes in Hebrew). Unfortunately, Blogger only allows the uploading of videos up to 100 megabytes - this one is nearly 180 megabytes.
Here's a brief summary:
Ilana Dayan's Uvda (Fact) program on Israel's Channel 10 last night featured an expose on a group of Right wing activists from the center of the country who managed to place a mole in Taayush, a Jewish-Arab organization that advocates for 'Palestinian human rights.'
The mole, an alumnus of an elite IDF combat unit who won an award for bravery during the war in Gaza in the summer of 2014 (while this was going on!), managed to record Ezra Nawi, the Jewish leader of Taayush, in conversations with an Arab land owner who wished to sell land south of Hebron (near Jewish villages) to Jews.
Nawi met with the land seller (in the mole's presence), and then proceeded to conspire with a Btselem 'Palestinian' activist named Nasser Nawajeh to turn the land seller over for 'investigation' by the 'Palestinian security services.'
Yes, that's right, the European-financed 'human rights organizations' turned over (and apparently not for the first time) a 'Palestinian' who wished to sell land to Jews to the 'Palestinian security services' for torture (Nawi says it outright) and 'neutralization' (i.e. murder).
I'm hoping this video will be translated into English because it rips the mask off the 'human rights' activists and the self-hating Jews who are trying to destroy the Jewish state.
The laws on ownership of land under the Palestinian Authority (PA),
originally enacted during the Jordanian occupation of Judea and Samaria
(1948–1967), prohibit Arabs from selling Arab-owned lands to “any man or
judicial body corporation of Israeli citizenship, living in Israel or
acting on its behalf.” According to several media sources, including the
NY Times, Ha’aretz and Jerusalem Post, selling land to Jews is
considered an act of treason by the Arabs because it threatens the
future Palestinian state and leads to “the spread of moral, political
and security corruption”. Arabs in the Palestinian Authority who sell
land to Israelis may be sentenced to death. The interrogation by PA
security forces of Arabs suspected of selling land to Jews involves
severe torture.
...
When asked what happens once Palestinian Authority police lays its
hands on the sellers, Nawi says, “It catches them, kills them.” He then
added with a vicious smile, “First Zubur, then Gazanga.” Zubur is an
Arabic word used in Hebrew to describe hazing—humiliation and physical
torment. The Gazanga part is not a known word, but implies, in the
context of the tape, the demise of the victim.
Ezra Nawi and his Arab associate, B’Tselem activist Nasser Nawaj’ah,
from the village of Yatta, are left-wing stars, who have been part of
the anti-settlement movement for decades. This is why the Israeli left,
before and immediately following the broadcast Thursday night, began a
campaign in their defense.
The left has praised Nawi and Nawaj’ah to high heaven over the years,
including accolades from linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist,
historian, logician, social critic, and political activist Noam Chomsky;
author, social activist, and filmmaker Naomi Klein; Ben-Gurion
University Prof. Niv Gordon; and Meretz Chairperson MK Zehava Galon.
They will not allow for these two folk hero activists to gain a new
renown as agents of death.
B’Tselem accused the show of legitimizing what was, essentially, a
right-wing operation. In that sense, the fact that journalist Dayan
described sending to their certain death Arabs whose only sin is wanting
to sell land to Jews, appears from B’Tselem’s point of view like her
embracing of the “occupation.” Gideon Levy told Dayan on air that “If
that’s all that those plants discovered, it’s a badge of honor for the
human rights organizations.”
...
Deputy Knesset Speaker MK Betzalel Smotrich said “what we’ve watched
tonight is the loss of a moral compass, a betrayal of the State of
Israel and an injury to life under the guise of defending human rights.
This phenomenon is not an invention of Ezra Nawi, unfortunately it is
typical of many of the extremist left wing organizations which are
concealing an extremist political agenda under the cover of human
rights.”
The report’s editor, Ami Assenheim, told Makor Rishon about the
process that preceded the screening: “Nawi is not alone,” he said. “You
see a mix of left-wing activists from other places. Nawi collaborates
with another Jewish activist in Ta’ayush. These are not the actions of a
single individual in a single organization. You see people conspiring
to turn in a land broker to the Preventive Security Force (PSF), knowing
what would be the fate of people like him. They were very embarrassed
when we called them up for a response. There were long silences and
phone hang-ups.”
Nawi himself accused the report of being an effort to sabotage his
heroic work on behalf of the Palestinian population in the southern
Hebron Mountain. “I wasn’t the one trapping the land broker, the
opposite is true,” he said. Nasser Nawaj’ah also denied his role as it
was described in the report, but not quite with the same level of
self-righteousness.
A couple of comments. The timing of this show's release is probably not accidental. As I have noted previously, the Knesset is currently considering a bill to expose foreign government funding of 'NGO's. This show could well advance that bill.
The comments by the Right wing infiltrators at the end were particularly notable. They said that they actually feel sorry for the ordinary 'Palestinians' who are being used not only by their own 'leadership,' but also by organizations that purport to protect their human rights. In other words, the Israeli Right is far more humane to 'Palestinians' than are the 'human rights' organizations.
Sadly, this story is unlikely to get a lot of publicity outside of Israel. But that shouldn't stop us from trying.
B'Tslem admits its primary researcher in Judea and Samaria is a Holocaust denier
A month ago, I reported that Atef Abu-Alrub, 'human rights group' B'Tselem's chief source in Judea and Samaria, is a Holocaust denier.
At first, B'Tselem claimed that Abu-Alrub's remarks were 'lies' and were 'taken out of context,' but now they're changing their tune.
[O]n Sunday, a Facebook post by the group pledged to "seriously examine the issue."
"After an [initial] investigation conducted with the researcher, and
in a letter sent to our employees, we established that Mr. Abu feels
'unequivocally that the Holocaust is a 'crime,' was a 'threat against
the Jewish people,' and that Channel 2 translated the words of another speaker who was present," the organization began.
"[However,] a few days ago a video was posted of the full
conversation. Indeed, most of the conversation that was filmed is
translation of a third person [present at the interview]," it continued.
"But, upon watching the video, we saw that it shows that contrary to
the above, the [remarks about the Holocaust] were not translating the
words of a third person, but were made directly by Mr. Abu-Alrub."
"In view of this, we seek to fix our response on this matter,
which was given in good faith and make it clear that we are disgusted,"
it concluded. "B'Tselem is careful in maintaining the
reliability and accuracy of its work and publications. Therefore, we
promise to hold inquiry as soon as possible into the incident and we
will publish the decision as soon as it is made."
I'm shocked. No, not shocked that B'Tselem would use a Holocaust-denying researcher, but shocked that they would admit it and pledge to do something about it. Please - shock me again and actually do something about it.
Of course: Leftist AG's office clears B'Tselem as 'national service'
National Service (Sheirut Leumi) is a substitute for army service which is undertaken by many religious Jewish women (and some religious Jewish men) who won't serve in the army on religious grounds, as well as by people who have physical impediments to serving in the army... and by some conscientious objector types. About six weeks ago, the service's director - Sar Shalom Jerbi - issued a directive stating that volunteering at B'Tselem, our Holocaust-denying anti-Israel propaganda machine, did not constitute national service. Our Leftist Attorney General's office has now overruled that decision, which means that providing anti-Israel propaganda to the biased Schabas Commission will now be deemed 'national service' to the State of Israel.
On Tuesday Deputy Attorney General Dina Zilber announced that the decision was null and void.
Zilber
said that Jerbi can strip an organization of the right to receive
national service volunteers only if the organization rejects Israel’s
existence as a Jewish and democratic state, incites to violence, terror
or racism, or supports terrorism or armed struggle against Israel.
However, she said, he failed to prove that B’Tselem does any of these.
Jerbi
had cited two interviews B’Tselem director Hagai El-Ad gave during the
war, one to the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera television network and another to
Radio Tel Aviv, as evidence that the organization supports or incites
to terror. But Zilber deemed this evidence “weak.”
Moreover, she
said, the agency is obligated to treat all organizations equally, and
the fact that Jerbi hadn’t investigated other groups whose activities
are similar to those of B’Tselem “also paints the decision in a
problematic hue from the standpoint of equality.”
Jerbi’s
decision, Zilber wrote, “opens the door to politicization of the
National Civilian Service Administration, which is liable to use its
authority to deny recognition only to certain groups, thereby imposing
an economic and public price tag on them, only because of statements
that are controversial on one side of the political spectrum.”
Jerbi
said he would honor Zilber’s decision, but also plans to explore other
ways “to prevent the absurd situation in which the State of Israel,” via
its provision of national service volunteers, “continues financing an
organization that accused Israel Defense Forces soldiers and the State
of Israel of committing war crimes during Operation Protective Edge [in
Gaza] and libeled it around the world.”
Jerbi is seemingly faced with the Hobson's choice of providing national service volunteers to numerous anti-Israel organizations, or finding the budget to investigate all of them. What could go wrong?
B'Tselem is the main
supplier of factual background material thanks to researcher Atef Abu
a-Rub who is also a Holocaust denier. The man is responsible for dozens
of "researches" and reports about the Israeli abuse in the territories.
He is so good at his job that when foreign reporters calls B'Tselem to
visit the territories, it is Abu a-Rub who is sent to serve as their
tour guide and shows them the area through his eyes.
The problem is not Atef Abu a-Rub; the problem is his operators.
His former boss was Lizi Sagie, the organization’s former information
director. Lizi claimed that Israel is responsible for humanity's
greatest atrocities and that it adopted Nazi values. Sagie quit
B'Tselem, but her spirit remained.
Member of B'Tselem public council Hussein Abu Hussein described
Israel as a "big monster that attacks us on a daily basis and nibbles
through our flesh… we all feel like crushing its head, but just talking
will not help, therefore everyone has a role. Atef Abu a-Rub has a role.
He is responsible for a flowing supply of "information" to describe
Israel as a monster.
How much Abu a-Rub's information is worth? According to him, the
mountains adjacent to the Jordan Valley used to be green until the Jews
came and stole the water beneath them. In addition those Jews "kill
dozens in their sleep and tell everyone it's because of the resistance".
But the Jews, he said, manage to hide their evil deeds because they
have a strong media. Yes, that is the man's opinions and the world is
fed with B'Tselem "researches".
This diabolic propaganda is fascinating, because it succeeds in
turning the tables. Holocaust surviving Jews become part of Hamas'
propaganda mechanism that wishes to continue the work of those who were
engaging in extermination of the Jewish people. Abu a-Rub and other
"human rights" activists like him, succeed in creating one of the
biggest scams of recent decades.
On one side stands a terror organization, who is also recognized as
such by the EU and most of the Western powers, and declares regularly,
in the most explicit manner, that its main goal is to annihilate the
Jewish people. Since the Nazi regime there hasn't been such a strong
body, almost a country, with such a diabolical ideology. On the other
side stands Israel who withdrew from the Gaza Strip and begs this reign
of terror to renounce terror and choose prosperity.
But the good Jews, the "Tikkun Olam" followers have really
turned a corner. There is no doubt that Abu a-Rub and the likes of him
have achieved an amazing success. The responsibility of most of it is
his employers; B'Tselem's board which Hussein Abu Hussein is one of its
members.
Amos Oz and A. B. Yehoshua, who are also sit in B'Tselem board,
have completely different opinions, but them sitting there gives
legitimacy to Abu a-Rub and Abu Hussein's radical views. They are having
a hard time admitting that their organization is not dealing with human
rights, but encourage anti-Semitism; it's not about criticizing
Israel's actions or about healing the world, it's about Jewish support
of fabricated blood libels meant to assist Hamas.
Abu a-Rub's story is taken from a fascinating book called "Catch
the Jew" by Tuvia Tennenbaum. Tennenbaum, a former Israeli, wrote the
book to a German publishing house following a similar journey through
Germany, which was depicted in his book "I Sleep in Hitler's Room" Where
Tuvia posed as a German reporter and toured the realm of the "human
rights kingdom". The results were terrifying.
Tennebaum is a figurative character with figurative writing.
Initially, I thought he was exaggerating, but I was worng. Tennebaum
wasn't only writing, he also documented everything via photos and
recorders. Tennebaum asked from B'Tselem a tour in the territories and
B'tselem sent Atef Abu a-Rub who, off course, told him his 1001 Arabian
Nights tales about the Jews' wrong doings.
It's important to mention that Abu a-Rub also contributes to
Gideon Levy's research, so next time someone is reading this research
they should know that perhaps, occasionally, they point out to things
that needs fixing, but mainly they prove that this is a satanic
propaganda mechanism; it is not clear whether B'Tselem and Levy planned
it that way, but they sure serve as key players in it.
Reporter poses as German, produces video proof of 'Palestinian' and leftist Holocaust deniers
Journalist Tuvia Tenenbaum is known throughout the 'Palestinian Authority' as 'Toby.' The 'Palestinians' and the Leftist internationals were convinced that Toby really was a German and they shared their real views with him.
The video below is Hebrew only - I'm hoping to get an English subtitled version within a couple of days. But I am translating the article from Israel's Channel 2's website into English for all of you. First the video, then the article.
Let's go to the videotape.
And the translation of the article, which summarizes the video.
"The Europeans aren't really familiar with the Middle East dispute and they did not do an investigation. They are coming out of every hole here. They don't want to help, but rather to catch the Jew doing something bad. It comes from hatred," claims Tuvia Tenenbaum. "I didn't lie in this case when I presented myself as a German journalist - I wanted to know what these people think. Even if there had been a conspiracy and it had been the only way to expose the truth, I would have done it, he added.
From the beginning, "Toby" joined a group of young Italians who learned about the dispute in Schchem (Nablus) and in Israel, with funding from the European Union. But the Israeli guide, Itamar Shapira - the brother of the pilot Jonathan Shapira who refused orders and became an extreme Leftist activist - presented himself to the group as "former Jew" and said harsh things against Israel.
During a tour of Yad Vashem, Shapira chose to focus specifically on stories of the massacre at Dir Yassin [the Jenin lie of the 1948 War of Independence. CiJ] and told the young Italians that it's necessary to impose a boycott and sanctions on Israel because "we have to stop an additional Holocaust." Shapira was fired in the past from Yad Vashem after he compared the Holocaust to the Naqba [the Palestinian characterization of the creation of the State of Israel as a catastrophe. CiJ], but today he leads private groups there.
The Palestinian guide who accompanied the group was Ataf Abu Rob, a Palestinian journalist and investigator for B'Tselem who is responsible for several stories published by the [extreme Leftist Haaretz] journalist Gideon Levy. Abu Rob told "Toby" that the Holocaust is "a lie. I don't believe it."
The senior Fatah commander Jibril Rajob also opened his door after he heard about the book that "Toby" planned to publish and told him: "Israel is racist and fascist, it will be isolated like South Africa." Rajoub's close confidantes whispered to Tenenbaum "We are all German, but the only problem is that that we know that General Rommel did not succeed in coming here."
Tenenbaum's book Catch the Jew will be published this week, and he will then not be accepted as a prodigal son in the Palestinian Authority once his cover is blown.
Yad Vashem reacted: "Yad Vashem is careful that the subject of the Holocaust will be presented in detachment from any political agenda. Itamar Shapira was employed in the past as a guide in Yad Vashem and was not careful about these norms, and therefore it was decided about five years ago to terminate him [after he had worked there for three and a half years! CiJ]. Today, we allow outside guides, but we are considering changing this policy."
From B'Tselem the following reaction was received: "B'Tselem condemns any expression of anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial. The matter will be clarified with the investigator with the full necessary seriousness." Journalist Gideon Levy added: "I traveled to the territories a number of times over the course of the years with Atef Abu Rob. I never conducted political discussions with him and I am not aware of his views. I very much hope that Holocaust denial is not one of them.
Anyone still want to argue that anti-Zionism isn't anti-Semitism? Think about that, Leftist American and European Jews.
B'tselem: "We'll save israel from herself by trashing her to the world." You got a problem with that? http://t.co/fkfYUi5OqG
— Richard Landes (@richard_landes) August 20, 2014
For those of you who donate money to the New Israel Fund (NIF) (how long have you been reading this blog anyway?), B'Tselem is one of the largest beneficiaries of your donations, to the tune of $255,477.23 in 2012. And the New Israel Fund is getting its money's worth: B'Tselem acts as Hamas' Israeli propaganda arm.
B'Tselem published 8 updates on casualties during Protective Edge. Under
the deniability cover of an "initial investigation," every report
compared the number of dead on the Israeli side and the number of
Palestinian side. This information was published on B'Tselem's website,
in their press releases and on social media.
Naturally, B'Tselem emphasized the number of children, minors, women
and elderly among those killed in Gaza, backed by visual aids. If
B'Tselem took care to note the number of combatants killed (by its own
definitions) in its first 6 releases, this category disappeared in the
last two releases, turning all Palestinian casualties into civilians until proven otherwise. B'Tselem explained the sudden change thus:
"the data is very initial and partial, and still being checked […] over
the next few months B'Tselem will continue to look into the events and
in this framework confirm the identity of those killed and figure out
who participated in the fighting." Why did B'Tselem repeatedly publish
partial, unconfirmed data? Didn't they care that this would serve solely
to bash Israel? Probably not. Meanwhile, while B'Tselem was coy about
identifying members of Palestinian terrorist groups among the dead, they
were consistent and clear about dividing between Israeli 'soldiers' and
'civilians'. In addition, these reports were padded with lachrymose
visual aids, of the kind meant to bypass the reader's critical
faculties, among them "tear-jerking" testimonies of Gazans,
who talk of being unable to sleep at night for fear of IDF bombardment,
how their life isn't a life and an impassioned appeal to the world not
to "stand aside." We should note that B'Tselem did indeed publish
testimonies of residents of the south of Israel who live under constant
rocket fire. But as B'Tselem itself admitted, symmetry is more important than nationality for them:
"We report more on Palestinians who are harmed because many, many more
Palestinians were harmed during the operation. This in spite of the fact
that most of the casualties did not take any part in the fighting
[note: such a categorical statement based on what they themselves call
"initial and partial data"! – A.W.] […] reporting needs to reflect
reality and reality is not symmetrical when it comes to the extent of
damage in Gaza and Israel and therefore it is presented before you in
this manner." B'Tselem even tried to launch a campaign of reading the
names of dead Palestinian children on the radio, which was banned by the
Broadcasting Authority and rejected by the Israeli Supreme Court. B'Tselem also released photo albums and video clips of the destruction in the Gaza Strip. After all, property destruction is ipso facto
against international law. Who cares if the building served as a
command or combat post? B'Tselem certainly couldn't be bothered to find
out if they were.
Your charity dollars at work.... What could go wrong?
Finally: Israel decides that serving B'Tselem is not serving the State
It took way too long to happen, but the State of Israel has finally concluded that serving the 'human rights' group B'Tselem does not constitute service to the State. Working at B'Tselem will no longer count as 'national service.' I'm amazed it ever did.
National Civilian Service
Administration Director Sar-Shalom Jerbi informed B'Tselem Director
Hagai El-Ad of the decision to strip the group of its "operating
organization" certification on Wednesday, via a letter.
"After reviewing the matter with several other
operating organizations, and given [B'Tselem's] activities against
Israel and IDF troops, I have decided to revoke your participation in
the National-Civilian Service Volunteer Program; especially during this
period of time, when Israel is engaged in neutralizing the threat of
rocket fire looming over millions of its citizens."
Jerbi's letter to El-Ad continued, "As you
know, Israel is currently dealing with an international delegitimization
campaign, which includes gross incitement against the IDF -- the most
ethical military in the world. Unfortunately, B'Tselem is a party to
this smear campaign. The information released by the organization and
its expressed positions encourage our enemies worldwide and prompt
anti-Semitic expressions against Israel, as well as anti-Semitic attacks
on Jews."
A B'Tselem statement issued Wednesday read,
"B'Tselem maintains that protecting human rights is a vital democratic
action done in the best interest of Israeli society. Sar-Shalom Jerbi's
decision, which we doubt he has the authority to make, is an abuse of
his administrative power for the sake of political gain. It constitutes
political and governmental persecution of a human rights group.
"Mr. Jerbi goes as far as to allude that
releasing information about human rights violations during wartime
constitutes treason, thus fanning the flames of intolerance, which have
already poisoned the political atmosphere. He has included himself in
the dubious club of those who incite against anyone expressing any
criticism" of the Gaza operation.
The decision to exclude B'Tselem from the
national service volunteer program "allows the government to bar any
organization whose positions it does not approve of, form employing
those seeking to perform national service. This action contradicts both
the principles of democracy and proper administration norms."
I'm amazed we ever called working for B'Tselem 'national service.' Good riddance!
For those who still don't believe that Hamas uses human shields, get a good look at the picture above. It's a group of 'Palestinian civilians' (perhaps that is becoming an oxymoron too) on the roof of a building that Israel wanted to destroy. In this case, the human shields accomplished Hamas' purpose: Israel did not destroy the building.
In a screenshot of a television broadcast from July 8, civilians
gather on the roof of the home of a Hamas terrorist who was targeted by
the IDF. They did so in order to act as human shields and deter an
imminent IDF attack, explained the military blog.
An IDF bird's eye video shows civilians gathering on a roof of a
terrorist's house after the IDF fired a warning shot to indicate it was
about to bomb it. Hamas achieved its aim in this case, because the IDF
decided not to bomb the home.
Let's go to the videotape.
Here's a video about human shields that the IDF did during Operation Cast Lead in 2008-09.
Let's go to the videotape.
Why aren't the 'human rights' groups criticizing Hamas? Because they're not about human rights. They're about anti-Semitism and Jew hatred.
What amazed me was the fact that this Hamas facility was so close to a
“non-Hamas” neighborhood. It is not a secret and this is a common
practice and I’m telling you, it’s frightening. Of course, my first
thought was “Why is Israel bombing this neighborhood?” Then I was told
about the Hamas facility. Yes, they do tuck their operations into
residential areas and let civilians endure the consequences.
As soon as the facility was hit, there was no further bombing that night.
I attended church while in Gaza, and I was surprised to find a Hamas
headquarters located directly across the street from the church, again
in an area of Gaza City where I was told you wouldn’t necessarily expect
to find Hamas supporters. I soon learned that the church has sustained
damage during bombing one night.
When I worked in a school there, it was well known that Hamas
occupied the high rise overlooking our school field. We could often see
people staring down on us. The school kids would often stop and shout up
at the people, telling them off, telling them to stop watching us. It
was obvious to me that if that building ever became a target to bomb,
the school would again sustain heavy damage. In fact, it did in the last
large military action. Hamas is everywhere.
There seems to be no separation at all between terrorist and civilian
areas, which is disgusting because they know there are civilians who
don’t support them and yet they pop up everywhere.
Just wondering why 'human rights watch,' B'Tselem, the UN 'human rights council' and all those other groups that claim to support human rights have nothing to say about this.
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman let the US and the European Union have it on Wednesday over demands for an investigation into the deaths of two 'Palestinians' at a Naqba Day demonstration in Beitunia on Thursday.
“"We don't need an American request to inquire the subject,” Liberman
said on Wednesday during a visit to Ariel University in the Samaria
region of the West Bank.
“I reject any request and the hypocrisy we see worldwide,” Liberman said.
...
In response to a reporter’s question about the incident in
Washington, US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said that America
expected Israel to conduct a prompt and transparent investigation.
The
European Union missions in Ramallah and Jerusalem also spoke of the
need for a more thorough investigation and denounced the use of lethal
force. “We reiterate the need for security forces, whether Israeli or
Palestinian, to refrain from the use of lethal force, except in cases
where there is a real and imminent threat to life,” the missions said.
Liberman said in response, “the IDF is the most moral military in the world, and the IDF is checking his actions continually.
“I
only wish that this sort of requirements will appear in other cases, in
Syria around 170,000 people were killed and I didn't see any request
from the international community to inquire these killings.
“Hamas
has executed two men in the Gaza strip after accusing them of spying
for Israel, without a lawyer or a fair trial. I didn't see any request
to investigate that.
“We will inquire this event do to our obligation to the moral code of the IDF,” Liberman said.
“Furthermore,
I find it odd that the video was published with a large gap from the
occurrence of the events in question, and all of these things will be
examined,” he said.
The IDF has also attacked the authenticity of the video footage published, including those from B’Tselem.
The
NGO had taken footage from security cameras used by store owners on the
street where the teens were shot and produced two short videos that
showed the moments of their death.
It said that it had 12 hours of footage, from the incident, which are available to those who are interested.
Well, yeah. Except that the full videos are only being made available to 'the media' rather than being publicly posted. So the video that's posted (I'm embedding one of them below) shows the shooting in isolation. It's not clear who shot, and it may not have been the IDF. The IDF says that it only used rubber bullets, which are not usually lethal. And the 'Palestinian police' just happened to be at the demonstration.
Let's go to the videotape.
By the way, anyone think that running toward someone who has been shot is a normal reaction? Shades of al-Durah....
I am an Orthodox Jew - some would even call me 'ultra-Orthodox.' Born in Boston, I was a corporate and securities attorney in New York City for seven years before making aliya to Israel in 1991 (I don't look it but I really am that old :-). I have been happily married to the same woman for thirty-five years, and we have eight children (bli ayin hara) ranging in age from 13 to 33 years and nine grandchildren. Four of our children are married! Before I started blogging I was a heavy contributor on a number of email lists and ran an email list called the Matzav from 2000-2004. You can contact me at: IsraelMatzav at gmail dot com
