Labels: BDS, David HaIvri
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 8:37 PM
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I sent an email on Friday to Shomron Regional Council spokesman David HaIvri (pictured), asking whether the reports regarding the protests against the presence of Hagai Amir in Shavei Shomron for the Sabbath were true, or whether they were exaggerated. He said that they were exaggerated. He also sent me these comments about Amir's release, which were originally written to someone else.I think that the media in Israel allows its people to present a twisted outlook on life to aro[u]se popularity, I guess you might call this yellow journalism. If anyone like me dare say on Israel's radio what you said here, the entire media community with have a festival twisting my words and making me into a monster. I am actually still reminded of things I said on the matter 16.5 years ago. On the other hand, Israel just recently released from prison hundreds of terrorists who killed and maimed thousands of Israeli's. The Israeli media in that case presented a 180 [degree] about-face view as to say that there could be nothing more normal and accepted then to do that, and if someone like myself would have challenged that on the media again they would have had a festival at his expense making him into a heartless weirdo.Indeed.
BTW - the "special treatment" given to the Amir brothers in Israel's punishment system is far from equality under the law, which would be expected in a free and western society. Yes, they were convicted [of] murdering a very important person in Israel. But, the same law applies to any other person in Israel. The punishment should not be so drastically different from someone who murdered anyone else. 16.5 [years] in solitary confinement is a very extreme (even inhuman) level of punishment that was inflicted on them solely as an additional means of punishment because of the victim in [this] case. The media as a watchdog for democracy, human rights and freedom should have been the first to question these procedures and they did in the case of Adnan Khdar. But, they operate with a double standard.
Labels: David HaIvri, mainstream media, Yigal Amir, Yitzchak Rabin
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 10:54 PM
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When asked if she was a Zionist, incoming New York Times bureau chief Jodi Rudoren said that the only "ist" with which she wanted to be identified is "journalist." David HaIvri, who is a spokesman for the Jewish community in Judea and Samaria, agrees. The New York Times’ newly-appointed Bureau Chief Judi Rodoren came under fire this week from pro-Israel bloggers who noticed that she sent a friendly tweet to a very obnoxious anti-Israel propagandist based in Chicago. Rodoren, also an American Jew, was put to the test on her questionable relationship with a hater of Israel. “Is she a Zionist?” was one question asked. Her response was that the only “ist” she would call herself is “journalist.” Well, that is really what is expected of her. She is not coming to Israel as a representative of American Jewry (whose support for their President Obama calls into question their support for Israel even more than Rodoren’s tweet with the Electronic Intifada’s Ali Abunimah).As I understand it, the problem with the Times is not the reporters, who are generally quite professional, but the editors back in New York who insert their own political (and nearly always anti-Israel) slant. Of course, there are always exceptions, but to this point I have to agree with David.
I would be glad to see American Jews in general be more supportive of Israel – but in regard to foreign journalists, Jewish or otherwise, I wish to see objective reporting. Tell the story like it is and let the readers decide for themselves. Don’t make us Jewish-Israeli-Zionists out to be monsters, and don’t make the Islamic Jihadi terrorists out to be peaceful human rights activists. There is a real story going on here in this beautiful and tiny country. It might very well be the most interesting story in the world. Journalists stationed here should open their eyes and report what they see without ugly accent colors painted by hate-mongers tweet blasting from Chicago or elsewhere.
Labels: anti-Israel media bias, David HaIvri, Jodi Rudoren, New York Times
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 12:35 PM
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The visiting EU official was able to see first-hand the central urban region, often called the “narrow hip” of Israel, and view the strategic importance of Judea and Samaria.This is the fourth coup in the last year for the Shomron (Samaria) Regional Council - they have previously had visits from a group of European parliamentarians, and from a group of American congressmen, and sent a delegation to Europe.
Council spokesmen said that Provera “did not conceal his surprise from the view …and his appreciation for what he saw the visit.”
Provera said, “I arrived in Samaria and observed the security situation for the first time, and this is an important viewpoint,“ he said. No I understand better the size of the country.”
Mesika told him, “Everything we saw earlier [today], such as the importance of a Jewish presence for the security of the existence of Israel,. is true, but the true reason we are here is that this is our inheritance and birthright. A Jewish presence in Samaria is the achievement of the vision of the Prophets. and it will be fulfilled whether or not people try to stop it.”
He called on the European Union to assist Israel “in this historic process.”http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
Mesika also discovered that Provera is a Bible, who nodded his head in approval of several comments by the regional chairman.
Labels: David HaIvri, Judea and Samaria, Shomron Liaison Office
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 8:37 PM
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Five Republican Congressmen visited the Shomron (Samaria) last week, on a guided tour led by Shomron liaison office director David HaIvri, Rabbi Eliezer Melamed of the Har Bracha yeshiva, Ariel Mayor Ron Nachman and others. The historic visit began with a bus tour led by Mayor Ron Nachman along the Trans-Samaria highway, where the delegates learned about Israel's narrow waste-line, security needs and strategic provisions. At the Ariel and Barkan Industrial Parks Mayor Nachman discussed co-existence, the 4,000 Arabs employed at the factories and the indiscriminate boycotts imposed by the Palestinian Authority and European Union on products from the factories. Mayor Nachman also showed the group the layout of the Ariel Bloc of communities, and the short distance from the Tel Aviv Coastal Plain.Wow, it's been five days since they've been there and the State Department hasn't gotten around to condemning them yet.
The Congressmen learned about Judeo-Christian teamwork and at Israel's primary outdoor training facility, the Ariel National Leadership Development Center. From there the group proceeded to the Ariel Regional Center for the Performing Arts, where they enjoyed a private performance by Ariel's young singers and internationally renowned dancers.
Before travelling north, the visit to Ariel culminated with the inaugural Samaria Summit luncheon, where municipal leaders, industrialists, business-people and professional athletes from across Samaria and the Jordan Valley gathered to discuss issues of relevance. Lior Shachory, CEO of the Ariel based Incentive Technology Incubator presented some of the R&D at the award winning center, whereas Eldad Halachmi, VP at Ariel University Center, made reference to U.S. State Department boycotts of R&D funding for academic research due to Ariel's location beyond the green line. The Samaria Summit was the first time that a Congressional delegation engaged face to face with the geo-political realities in one of the most media-covered regions in the world.
Rep. Randy Forbes (R -VA-4th) addressed the Summit by stating his unwavering support for Israel's peace and security. Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO-5th) discussed Israel's inherent value and the commitment of the Congressional Republican Israel Caucus and the Israel Allies Caucus which he co-chairs. Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX-1st), who is known for his instrumental role in arranging for Prime Minister to deliver his acclaimed speech to both houses of Congress in May, 2011, explained how Israel cannot sacrifice its own security by relinquishing land to those who are committed to its destruction. They were joined by Congressman John Fleming (R-LA-4th) and Congressman Jim Jordan (R-OH-4th), who shared the sentiments of their colleagues.
Labels: David HaIvri, Shomron Liaison Office
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 10:45 PM
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Samaria resident David HaIvri talks with an Arab journalist about what will bring peace to our region. After the interview, in a open conversation with the journalist, who has much experience with the Arab population in Middle Eastern countries, I pointed out that if we were to look at the situation with an objective eye, putting aside preconceptions about Israel and the Palestinians and political correctness, the fact is that in general, Arabs under Israeli rule don't have it as bad as Arab citizens of most of our neighboring countries. That is the truth that the Palestinian propagandists do not want the world to know. That explains why the majority of Arab residents of Jerusalem have answered polls saying that they would rather be a part of Israel and not an Arab state.Indeed. If only they would listen....
The journalist actually acknowledged my point and went on to tell me how difficult his work as journalist is in Arab countries, where freedom of press and freedom of expression are nearly non-existent. In recent months, international journalists have been beaten, molested and kidnapped in other Middle Eastern countries, but the norm of the media is to criticize Israel for much less and accept and overlook such offenses in Arab countries.
Those who pose as "peace" and "rights" activists, who make it their business to libel Israel and the Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria are not advancing peace as they would prefer to be viewed by the world, but actually, they are the biggest deterrent to peace between the Arabs and Jews in Israel.
Labels: David HaIvri, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, human rights activists
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 4:52 PM
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If you happen to be a Jew who believes in Maimonides' 13 principles of faith, one of which is a belief in the future coming of the Messiah, then Jeffrey Goldberg is really, really scared of you. Jeffrey Goldberg, respected Jewish-American journalist, felt it was his duty to broadcast to humanity that Jews who believe in the coming of a Messiah - thus earning the "messianic" adjective - are a clear and present danger to world peace. That belief in the coming of a Messiah constitutes one of the 13 Principles of the Jewish Faith, adhered to by all observant Jews throughout history, without a single resultant incident of bloodshed or violence, is irrelevant. For Jeffrey, the important point was to draw a false equivalence between Islamist fanaticism and Jewish virtue; to ensure that civilized people learn to be frightened of Jews, particularly Jews who lovingly adhere to the statutes of their faith, no less than they are of Islamists, and preferably more so. Mission accomplished, indeed.That wasn't the only effort by Goldberg this week to 'protect' the World from 'messianic Jews.' Earlier in the week, he went after David HaIvri (pictured above), executive director of the Shomron Liaison Office, and an occasional source of news for this blog.
But wait, there's more! Who are these "messianic" Jewish terrorists, and where are they hiding?
"A few months ago," Jeffrey helpfully directs us, "I visited a building in the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City owned by a radical yeshiva." Aha! So that's where the "messianic" Jewish terrorists are encamped, biding their time to strike the blow that ends the world. Camped illegitimately, Goldberg likely wishes to add, it being the Muslim Quarter, and thus the dreaded and preferably Judenrein "West Bank".
To my knowledge, which I admit is limited (where's Yaacov when you need him), the only yeshiva of any prominence in the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem's Old City is Yeshiva Ateres Cohanim. Here it is on Google Maps, in relation to the Temple Mount. Here's a brief video (click the link, I command you) about the yeshiva, encompassing the history of the place, which has been a center of Jewish learning since 1886, when it was known as Yeshiva Torath Chaim (pictured on the right, 1920s).
That's right, the building now home to Ateres Cohanim housed a yeshiva long before the international community decided that Jews should not be allowed to live in "East" Jerusalem, and longer still before Jeffrey Goldberg decided that any Jew who lives in "East" Jerusalem is a "radical". What's more, the building is the sole survivor of the Jordanian occupation, during which time the other 80 yeshivas and synagogues in the Arab controlled portions of the city were destroyed. The building laid empty after the Arab pogroms of 1936, entrusted to an Arab caretaker, until Israel reunified Jerusalem in 1967.
I would only note that the person Rep. Gohmert is standing next to, David Halvri, is someone I met in the 90s when he still called himself David Axelrod (no relation, as far as I can tell, to the other David Axelrod), and when he was a leader of the Kach movement, founded by the late Rabbi Meir Kahane, and of Kahane Chai, the successor organization to Kach. Kach men, of course, are fascist fundamentalists. HaIvri was arrested in Israel for celebrating the death of Yitzhak Rabin; he was also jailed for six months for desecrating a mosque. He has also been associated with groups that have been included on the State Department list of terrorist organizations. Just noting this for the record.In the paranoia of the 1990's, lots of people were arrested for 'celebrating the death of Rabin' (something that absent a threat to someone else would probably constitute free speech in the US by the way). In one apocryphal story I recall from that time, a Jerusalem barber asked "who is next in line" and someone responded "Shimon Peres." Someone called the police and the person was promptly arrested. So I don't put much stock in saying that someone was arrested for 'celebrating the death of Rabin.' Most of them weren't.
Labels: Ateret Cohanim, David HaIvri, Jeffrey Goldberg, Kach, Kahane Chai, MEK, PKK, Rabbi Meir Kahane, Yitzchak Rabin
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 11:34 AM
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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
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