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.
With the end of the holiday and the Sabbath here in Israel, it's become clear that 'moderate' 'Palestinian' President Mahmoud AbbasAbu Mazen's United Nations General Assembly speech was quite a success... but not quite for the reasons he wanted. Abu Mazen has managed to unite Israeli politicians across the board in blasting him for his hatred.
"Mahmoud Abbas has again proved his only expertise is spreading lies
and incitement against Israel," Communications Minister Gilad Erdan
(Likud) slammed Saturday night. "He has denied the Holocaust in the past and now, in this surreal speech at the UN, he has accused us of 'genocide.'"
"This is not how a 'peace partner' talks, and certainly not anyone
who wants for 'reconciliation between peoples," Erdan continued. "Now it
is clear why he insists on partnering with the Hamas terrorist
organization, with whom he shares the 'struggle against Israel' and will
promote our delegitimization through false propaganda."
"Mahmoud Abbas always finds a soft spot for murderers, rocket
launchers, and our enemies in general," Jewish Home Chairman and
Economics Minister Naftali Bennett added. "We saw missiles launched at
Ben Gurion Airport two months ago, and it's good to know these launchers
are members of Mahmoud Abbas's 'Palestinian state.'"
"Now Israel must find new and creative ways to allow us to just
survive here," Bennett fumed. "A Palestinian state west of the Jordan
River is not one of them."
Even the extreme left took issue with Abbas's speech.
"While Israel has acted harshly in Gaza and made things difficult
[for the Palestinians], you cannot call it 'genocide," Meretz Chairman
Zahava Gal-On stated Saturday. Gal-On - who did not explicitly condemn
Abbas - did add, however, that Abbas's words were "serious and grave." [But see below. CiJ]
"These are false and outrageous statements," MK Eitan Cabel (Labor),
added. "It would have been better if they had not spoken, and these
words are worthy of condemnation from all who truly love peace."
Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon had some more biting remarks.
"Through his speech at the UN, Mahmoud Abbas proves for the umpteenth
time: this is not a leader who wants peace and the advancement of his
people's lives, but a person who distributes lies, incitement, and hate
speech against Israel," Ya'alon stated Saturday. "Mahmoud Abbas is not a
man of peace, and is not really interested in an agreement with Israel,
which means recognition of the Jewish national homeland."
"Time after time, Mahmoud Abbas goes on to deceive the international
community, to throw at Israel false and racist accusations out of the
hope that threats, pressure, and lies will scare us and make us
acquiesce [to his demands]," Ya'alon continued.
Ya'alon implied that Abbas's speech was particularly grave, and may have jettisoned future plans to renew peace talks.
"He has no partner for a political agreement - which is essential to
end the conflict - and we will therefore not compromise the security of
Israeli citizens," Ya'alon said, referencing plans to make a Palestinian
state in Judea and Samaria. "In every situation, we are responsible for
our own destiny and our own security, and we will be in the future."
Ya'alon concluded by blasting Abbas for "not really coming to terms
with our own existence" and added that the claims "are detached from
reality."
Prime Minister Netanyahu is on his way to the United States to counter Abu Mazen's (and Iranian President Hassan Rohani's) 'slander and lies.'
But despite the quotation above, Meretz leader Zehava Gal-On actually backed Abu Mazen.
“Meretz supports Abbas’s international efforts to bring the end of the occupation and to get international recognition as a [Palestinian] state and member of the UN before and as a corridor to reaching peace in bilateral negotiations between equals,” the party leader said.
The speech reflected Abbas’s total distrust of Netanyahu as a partner for peace, Gal-On said.
According to Gal-On, “Netanyahu refused to negotiate for five years and the talks under American sponsorship led nowhere and wild construction continued in the settlements. Now Netanyahu wants to continue ‘managing the conflict’ instead of solving it,” she lamented.
Gal-On proves the prophet Isaiah right once again. Isaiah warned that those who would destroy us would spring forth from among us. 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.
This video presents some of the recent public statements
by Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas, in a broader, more
complete context, in order to help advance the prospect of genuine peace
between Israel and the Palestinians, by sharing factual information
about Abbas's statements.
I am sure that many of you have already seen the picture above, which is pretty much the sum total of American and Western efforts to rescue 276 girls who have been kidnapped to be sold into slavery by Boko Haram, an Islamic terror organization in Nigeria.
Secondly, Charlie seems unaware of what's going on in schools around
the world. In that post about Boko Haram from last year, I also wrote this:
Up north, in the crucible of liberal social democracy,City Hall in Copenhagen held hearings earlier this year about the bullying of Jews in heavily Muslim public schools. Seventeen-year-old Moran Jacob testified:
'In eighth grade, his teacher told him to say that he was Palestinian
and that his mother was Russian. "I had to lie about who I was," he
recalls. But it didn't work. They knew. Eventually, a group of his
classmates ganged up on him and stabbed him in the leg. "You can't go
here anymore," his teacher said. "I have scars," he told the hearing.
"Not on my body, but on my soul . . ."
'"Jews have learned to keep a low profile," Max Mayer, president of
the Danish Zionist Federation, told the hearing. "To not exist in the
city…" And they teach their sons to do the same: wear the skullcap at
school, but take it off when you leave. This, Mayer said, has become
standard practice for Danish Jews: "Don't see us, don't notice us."'
This is liberal, multicultural Europe in the 21st century. As part
of his thanks for raising the subject, young Moran Jacob was
subsequently set upon by "Arabic kids" on Strøget, the main pedestrian
street in Copenhagen, and forced to move away from the neighborhood in
which he's lived all his life. He's now considering leaving Denmark...
Listen to how cowed the school principals sound in the Copenhagen
story and then figure the chances of anyone addressing the issue
honestly. Boko haram, indeed.
To the people who drove that Jewish boy out of his school, arguing
that the Holocaust never happened is not a dazzling virtuoso display of
Oxbridge-level intellectual gymnastics but just business as usual.
...
The California schools superintendent who wanted his Eighth Graders
to turn in essays arguing that the Holocaust didn't happen is called
Mohammad Z Islam. That's why they got the assignment, not because they
wanted to turn themselves into the Oxford Union. As Laura Rosen Cohen
pointed out, there are all kinds of lively topics Mr Cooke might propose
for our schools: Did Mohammed exist? What's the deal with his
nine-year-old bride? But in the real world even mild questioning of
whether Islam is a "religion of peace" is beyond the pale, and across
the Continent the Holocaust is disappearing from school curricula.
That's the problem. There's no point winning an Oxford debate if the other side win everything else.
'Moderate' 'Palestinian' President Mahmoud AbbasAbu Mazen has told one of America's most useful idiots - Marc Schneier - that the Holocaust was the ‘single greatest tragedy in modern-day history.’Of course, Abu Mazen only said it in English, and he still hasn't disavowed his Holocaust-denying thesis. He also didn't say it to anyone except Schneier, which has to remind you of last week's statement to Israel's Leftist MK's, which was subsequently denied. This is from the third link.
According to Rabbi Marc Schneier of the Foundation for Ethnic
Understanding, a Jewish-Muslim interfaith group, Abbas agreed to make a
public declaration on behalf of Holocaust-remembrance efforts around the
world, as well as to speak out against attempts to ban circumcision and
ritual slaughter in several European countries.
Abbas told Schneier that “remembrance should be an issue of increased
concern to both Jews and Muslims,” the rabbi said after the meeting.
With regard to the part I bolded, don't hold your breath waiting for it to happen. And if it does happen, you can bet it will be in English and not in Arabic.
Abbas has been a subject of criticism in some Israeli circles over
accusations of Holocaust denial because of his graduate thesis, written
while studying in the former Soviet Union, which asserted that “a
partnership was established between Hitler’s Nazis and the leadership of
the Zionist movement” and that the Zionist movement “gave permission to
every racist in the world, led by Hitler and the Nazis, to treat Jews
as they wish, so long as it guarantees immigration to Palestine.”
Last year Abbas defended his thesis, saying that he “challenges anyone
who can deny that the Zionist movement had ties with the Nazis before
World War II,” according to a report in the Palestinian news service
Ma’an.
Leader of Iranian green movement won't even shake hands with a Jew
Some of you might recall that in 2009, I kept asking all the Iranian greens I was following where they stood on Israel. If they weren't open to having diplomatic relations with us, I would ignore them. A curse on both their houses. I couldn't get a straight answer. I kept getting told it's not relevant now.
Now, I know for sure why I got that answer. Here's an English translation of the caption of the picture above.
“This is Iran’s deceased Ayatollah Montazeri (d. December, 2009) in the photograph where he rejected shaking the hand of a fellow Jewish Iranian. He declined the handshake because he did not want to become dirty (najis) and his cleanliness despoiled for his “Salaat” preparation (for prayer, as a Muslim), by contacting the (najis, infidel) Jew.” (thanks to S for the translation)
So yes, Ahmadinejad kissed the Neturei Karta nutjobs who showed up for his Holocaust denial conference. But they're a different kind of Jew.
On the same page as Ahmadinejad, but knows how to talk to westerners
What's the difference between Hassan Rohani and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad? Well, they've both been President of Iran, one wears a turban and the other doesn't. One has a thicker beard and glasses. Other than that, there don't seem to be any differences. Jonathan Tobin:
By demonstrating that he isn’t a cheap date but must instead be wooed
by the West with concessions, Rouhani gave us a good idea of the course
of the next round of negotiations that the United States is about to
embark upon with Iran. Instead of being eager to embrace Obama in order
to prove their desire for diplomacy and to avert the threat of Western
force being employed to end their nuclear dreams, the Iranians know that
Obama has already swallowed the bait. This wasn’t the first time
Rouhani had humiliated the West since he is a veteran of past deceptive
diplomatic encounters, but we also know it won’t be the last.
The White House’s disappointment at Rouhani being unwilling to shake hands with the president was absurd enough. But even the New York Times
was unable to spin the Iranian’s speech to the GA as anything but a
disappointment to those who have invested so heavily in the notion that
he represents an opportunity for genuine change in Iran.
Rouhani’s address can only be seen as “moderate” when compared to the
wacky rants of his predecessor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He didn’t deny the
Holocaust nor openly threaten Israel with destruction. But he gave
little satisfaction to those expecting him to inaugurate a new age of
understanding with a lengthy litany of complaints about the West as well
as an almost impenetrable barrage of double talk about Syria, nukes,
and terrorism.
Rouhani’s appeal for “tolerance” rang false, coming as it did from a
government that persecutes religious minorities and continues to be a
font of anti-Semitic incitement aimed at Israel and its supporters. The
same can be said of his denunciation of terrorism, coming as it did from
an official of a government that is the leading state sponsor of terror
in the world.
The West’s favorite “moderate” mullah met with a gaggle of liberal
mainstream media types Wednesday morning for a mostly off-the-record
gathering and, despite being unwilling to pander much to their
sensibilities, still left them thinking, in the words of New Yorker
editor David Remnick, “That at least on the surface this is somebody
who above all is interested in reversing the really consequential damage
to the economy that sanctions have wrought over time.”
I’ve no doubt that is true, as the conceit of Rouhani’s mission is
apparently to persuade the West that because he isn’t a raving lunatic
like his predecessor Ahmadinejad, that should be enough to earn Iran the
world’s trust. And the chief proof of this is his willingness to say
that it was a bad thing that the Nazis killed Jews. At Remnick’s
prodding, Rouhani said as much today. As Politico reports:
Toward the end of the meeting, Remnick, who had sparred with
Ahmadinejad in past meetings, demanded to know if Rouhani would
unequivocally reject his predecessor’s denial of the Holocaust.
Through an interpreter, Rouhani told Remnick and the other
journalists that he condemned the “massacre” of Jews that took place
during World War II but would leave it to historians to decide how many
Jews had been killed.
While stopping short of condemning the Holocaust outright, Rouhani
left Remnick with the impression that he was serious about improving
Iran’s relationship with the West.
That’s nice and no doubt Rouhani’s dignified manner and trademark white turban are a big improvement over Ahmadinejad’s MAD
magazine style charm, but if we’re really interested in the question of
repudiating Holocaust denial, Rouhani’s response doesn’t quite cut it.
Nor does his equally cagey answer to a similar question posed by CNN’s Christiane Amanpour
in which he segued from a pro-forma condemnation of the “taking of
human life, whether that life is Jewish life, Christian or Muslim” into
saying his non-support of Nazi genocide shouldn’t be interpreted as
being willing to recognize living Jews have rights, since that “does not
mean that on the other hand you can say Nazis committed crimes against a
group, now, therefore, they must usurp the land of another group and
occupy it.” The point is, if you are agnostic about the scale of the
Holocaust, you are, in effect, a denier. If you are against killing Jews
but unwilling to grant that they may have rights to a country or the
right to defend it, your supposedly moderate good intentions are
meaningless.
It turns out that Rouhani’s so-called condemnation of the Holocaust is
even flimsier than we thought. After CNN broadcast its interview with
Rouhani conducted by Christiane Amanpour, the FARS News Agency
condemned their translation of his remarks about the Holocaust as
largely a fabrication. The official organ of the Iranian government
provided an exact translation of what he said and matched it with what
CNN broadcast and then published on their website. When the two are
compared it is clear that the network expanded on what he said to help
convey the impression that he was condemning Holocaust denial when it is
clear that he did no such thing.
...
While the two have similarities, there is no doubt that the news outlet
airbrushed Rouhani’s comments to the point where they are far more
acceptable for a Western audience. The actual remarks make it clear that
Rouhani is as much of an agnostic about the extent of the Holocaust as
Ahmadinejad. After all, Rouhani’s predecessor never said that no Jews
were killed but said it was vastly exaggerated, the false argument that
all Holocaust deniers try to make.
In an interview broadcast on NBC's Today show on Thursday (with the interviewer in a hijab), 'moderate' new Iranian President Hassan Rohani ducked a question about the Holocaust by saying he's not a historian.
Does he deny the Holocaust or doesn't he? Or is he just more interested in perpetrating the next one? Hussein Obama doesn't know and doesn't care.
UPDATE 3:25 PM
There's a full article from Anne Bayefsky that goes with this one, and it's well-worth reading.
The major glitch in the diplomatic whirlwind so far — other than the
fact that the Iranian nuclear weapons program is as plain as day — came
in the context of those inconvenient Jews. It turns out that you can
take the Iranian president out of the country but you can’t take the
antisemitism out of the Iranian president.
NBC’s Curry asked
Rouhani whether he believed that the Holocaust was “a myth.” “I’m not a
historian,” Rouhani replied. “I’m a politician.” Such a politician, in
fact, that on cue he gave the Iranian leadership’s stock answer. Time
and again, Ahmadinejad also insisted that more historical study was
required to determine whether there was a Holocaust.
As for
ridding the world of Israel, Curry asked whether it was true that “Iran
wanted to wipe Israel off the map.” To which Rouhani replied: “What we
wish for in this country is rule by the will of the people. We believe
in the ballot box.” Ahmadinejad himself couldn’t have said it better.
The former president repeatedly said that millions of Palestinians
should all “return” to the Zionist entity, outnumber the Jews, and hold
another one-off Arab election. Bye-bye Jewish state and any nonsense
about a two-state solution.
Moderate Rouhani also talked about “pressure groups” (nudge, nudge, wink, wink: those Jews) influencing countries like America.
In
theory, the antisemitism shouldn’t fit too well with all the lectures
about values to which Americans have been treated over the past month by
the Obama administration. Connecting the dots between refusing to
acknowledge the Holocaust and using nukes against the Jewish remnants of
the Holocaust, however, seems to be beyond the imagination of this
White House.
Meanwhile, Katie Harbath, manager of policy at Facebook, became aware of the situation. Ms. Harbath saw the Observer version of the story and reached out to New York Observer editor Ken Kurson; at the same time, CommentaryMagazine social
media associate Bethany Mandell had also contacted Ms. Harbath.
Immediately, Ms. Harbath sent me an apologetic e-mail, with an assurance
that if I ever ran into any trouble in the future, I should not
hesitate to get in touch with her directly.
Several hours later, I received a more formal explanation
from the folks at Facebook, which was posted on Monday afternoon as an
update to my story on the Observer:
“As our team processes more than one million reports each
week, we occasionally make a mistake. In this case, we mistakenly
removed content from Ruthie Blum’s profile, and worked to rectify the
mistake as soon as we were notified. We apologize for the inconvenience
cause due to the removal of this content, and we have already taken
steps to prevent this from happening in the future. Additionally, we
have removed any blocks on associated accounts.”
Though the removal of content from my page was never an
issue (a political stalker trying to silence me was the problem), it is
gratifying to know that the might of the pen sometimes works to my
camp’s advantage. This definitely deserves a “Like.”
I want you to note the part I highlighted. What this apparently means is that if you are Facebook friends with someone whose account is blocked, you become someone who is watched more closely and is more likely to have your account suspended in the event that someone complains about you (which is how Ruthie got blocked - the anti-Israel people complained about her). Something to think about for all of us....
Meanwhile, my friends overseas (at least in the US) report that the Holocaust denial page is still up, but here in Israel it is apparently blocked.
Six years ago I wrote a letter to then-President Bush in which I attempted to show why Mahmoud AbbasAbu Mazen is not a 'moderate.'
Abu Mazen is not a man of peace. He is an anti-Semite and at least an accessory to murder. Abu Mazen is a Holocaust denier.
He wrote his doctoral thesis in 1982 at the Moscow Institute for
Oriental Studies. The heading of his doctoral thesis was: "Zionist
leadership and the Nazis." The introduction dealt, among other topics,
with a loaded issue: How many Jews perished in the Holocaust. In the
Soviet period, especially in the anti-Israel institute that Abu Mazen
attended, they often dealt with such questions. The Soviet Union, more
than any other country, was addicted to Holocaust denial. The victims
were not recognized by their origin, but rather by their nationality.
And this is what the diligent researcher Abu Mazen wrote:
World
War Two caused the death of 40 million people from different parts of
the world. Ten million Germans, 20 million Soviets, and more…Rumors at
the end of the war said that 6 million of the world's Jews were among
the victims in the war of extermination that was waged against the
Jewish people and later on against other peoples. The fact is that no
one can confirm this number or deny it. The number could be 6 million,
but it could be much smaller, perhaps even smaller than one million.
"Many researchers who discussed the number reached the unconventional
conclusion that it is no more than several hundred thousand," he wrote.
Later on, Abu Mazen quotes a Holocaust denier who claimed that "at first
the Zionists spoke about 12 million Jews who were killed in the death
camps. They later narrowed the number down to 6 and to 4 million. It is
not possible that the Germans murdered more Jews than existed in the
world at the time." He quotes another Holocaust denier who counted
896,000 Jewish victims in all. Abu Mazen has consistently refused to
distance himself from his thesis.
Mr. President, you are a few years older than I am, but we are from the
same generation. I am sure that you remember as vividly as I do watching
eleven Israeli athletes being held hostage at the Munich Olympic games
in 1972 and their eventual murder by their 'Palestinian' kidnappers. But
perhaps you never knew that Abu Mazen, whom you now call a 'man of
peace' financed that terror attack
and has never expressed any remorse for it. In case you have forgotten,
I am enclosing a picture of one of the terrorists on the balcony
outside the room in the Olympic village where the Israeli athletes were
held. I'm sure you recognize it. It was taken from ABC television's live
coverage of the 'event.'
I know that when you ask Secretary Rice about Abu Mazen's thesis and the Munich Olympics, she's going to tell you that's all ancient history and that you should ask Scowcroft about it. But I'd like to show you a few statements that Abu Mazen has made in the last few months that ought to convince you that he is not a man of peace and should not be invited to any peace conferences.
Matters like Abu Mazen's anti-Semitism are things that Israel's chattering classes prefer to ignore, so they are not often discussed in Israel's media. But on Tuesday, in a rare display of honesty, they were discussed in the Knesset, and the media had little choice but to report on it.
Jerusalem and Diaspora Minister Naftali Bennett, who is responsible for
the government's efforts to battle anti-Semitism, attended a conference
of a Knesset caucus on the issue, led by MK Shimon Ohayon (Likud
Beytenu), and pointed out that Abbas denied the Holocaust.
"The President of the Palestinian Authority said he doesn't want to see
any Israelis on his land. Bad things happen when good people are silent.
Good people need to act," he stated.
...
Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Avigdor Liberman
(Likud Beytenu) said he keeps a copy of Abbas' book, which purports to
connect Zionism and Nazism and has a Star of David and a swastika on its
cover, in his office.
"I don't know why, now that we're all so excited about the peace
process, no one remembered to mention it. Abbas never took his words
back or apologized," Liberman stated.
As if an apology would undo all the damage Abu Mazen has done....
Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky said he read Abbas' dissertation
from the Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow, and explained that it
claims Zionism and Nazism worked together because both wanted to remove
all Jews from Europe.
"To this day, people ask me if I think anti-Semitism is a good thing,
because it brings people to Israel. What ignorance and lies!" Sharansky
said.
"Anti-Semitism is enemy number one of Zionism," he added. "For every one
person who makes aliya because of anti-Semitism, 10 assimilate.
Anti-Semitism and delegitimization of Israel lead Jews to distance
themselves from Judaism and Israel."
Sharansky said anti-Semitism "is reaching new heights" and that the Knesset must put it on its agenda.
And the Knesset can start putting it on the agenda by being honest and calling Abu Mazen what he is: An anti-Semite.
It's only natural for a President in his last days in office to look back nostalgically on the 'successes' of his administration (Hat Tip: Hot Air via Shy Guy).
Outgoing Iranian
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Sunday described his denial of the
Holocaust as one of his greatest achievements, the Fars news agency
reported.
"That
was a taboo topic that no one in the West allowed to be heard,"
Ahmadinejad said in a speech looking back at his time in office. He had
enough courage to bring up the issue, he said.
"That broke the spine of the Western capitalist regime," he claimed.
I can't wait to hear what President Hussein Obama claims as his greatest achievement. Perhaps breaking the spine of the Western capitalist regime?
UN General Assembly to ratify honor to Holocaust denier
The United Nations General Assembly is scheduled on Wednesday to ratify all resolutions adopted by the 'human rights council' during 2012. One of those resolutions honors a Holocaust denier.
While a handful of these decisions were good, many were despicable. One stands out for its ignominy: the appointment of a top
official whose life’s work—authoring books on World War II that make
Germans the victims and the Allies the war criminals—has made him a hero
to Holocaust deniers.
Alfred
de Zayas was appointed in March as the council’s “Independent Expert on
the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order,” an
anti-Western mandate created by Cuba's Communist regime.
Inexplicably, Zayas was unanimously recommended by a
U.N. committee that included British Ambassador Peter Gooderham, who was
supposed to effectively represent the interests and values of Western
democracies such as Britain, France, Germany and the United States.
To undo this wrong, tomorrow U.S. Ambassador
Susan Rice should lead the world's democracies in calling for a vote on
the omnibus resolution—which includes the appointment of Zayas—and vote No.
Ambassador Rice should also take the floor and explain
to the U.N. and the world why America and all decent people
categorically object to an appointment that contradicts the principles
of the U.N. and its founding history as the anti-Hitler alliance.Click here to send an email urging action.
Iranian television mistranslated Ban Ki-Moon's speech
In an earlier post, I reported that UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon had excoriated Iran at the Non-Aligned Movement conference in Tehran for its threats against Israel and its Holocaust denial. I'm sure you'll all be shocked to hear that Persian language television in Iran mistranslated Ban's speech according to Bahman Kalbasi, New York/UN Correspondent for BBC TV News' Persian language service.
Iran domestic TV drastically mistranslated several passages of Ban's speech at the NAM summit in their live Persian translations.
I wonder if Ban even mentioned the nuclear weapons program. From what I have seen, he did not.
PA official visits Auschwitz, Hamas complains it 'served Zionists'
A senior adviser to 'moderate' 'Palestinian' President Mahmoud AbbasAbu Mazen visited the Auschwitz death camp late last month, and a Hamas spokesman is complaining that the visit 'served the Zionists' by marketing a 'false Zionist alleged tragedy.'
Ziad al-Bandak, an adviser to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas had made a rare visit by a Palestinian official to the site of the Auschwitz death camp late last month.
"It was an unjustified and unhelpful visit that served only the Zionist occupation," said Fawzi Barhoum, a spokesman for Hamas. Hamas rejects Israel's existence and interim peace accords reached by Abbas's more moderate Fatah group with Israel.
Barhoum further called Bandak's visit to Auschwitz, a camp where the Nazis killed 1.5 million people, most of them Jews but also other Polish citizens, during World War Two, as "a marketing of a false Zionist alleged tragedy."
He said he saw this as coming "at the expense of a real Palestinian tragedy," alluding to Israel's control over territory where Palestinians live and seek to establish a state.
Abu Mazen is a Holocaust denier. He wrote his doctoral thesis in 1982 at the Moscow Institute for Oriental Studies. The heading of his doctoral thesis was: "Zionist leadership and the Nazis." The introduction dealt, among other topics, with a loaded issue: How many Jews perished in the Holocaust. In the Soviet period, especially in the anti-Israel institute that Abu Mazen attended, they often dealt with such questions. The Soviet Union, more than any other country, was addicted to Holocaust denial. The victims were not recognized by their origin, but rather by their nationality. And this is what the diligent researcher Abu Mazen wrote:
World War Two caused the death of 40 million people from different parts of the world. Ten million Germans, 20 million Soviets, and more…Rumors at the end of the war said that 6 million of the world's Jews were among the victims in the war of extermination that was waged against the Jewish people and later on against other peoples. The fact is that no one can confirm this number or deny it. The number could be 6 million, but it could be much smaller, perhaps even smaller than one million.
"Many researchers who discussed the number reached the unconventional conclusion that it is no more than several hundred thousand," he wrote. Later on, Abu Mazen quotes a Holocaust denier who claimed that "at first the Zionists spoke about 12 million Jews who were killed in the death camps. They later narrowed the number down to 6 and to 4 million. It is not possible that the Germans murdered more Jews than existed in the world at the time." He quotes another Holocaust denier who counted 896,000 Jewish victims in all. Abu Mazen has consistently refused to distance himself from his thesis.
But I'm sure that once the 'Palestinians' of Hamas and Fatah reunite and get a state, they'll drop all this nonsense.
Iran marks Holocaust Memorial Day with denial cartoons
Israel's Channel 2 television reported this week that Iranian television marked Holocaust Memorial Day this week by playing Holocaust denying cartoons.
The cartoons show Jews fabricating stories about the Nazis’ atrocities and 6 million Jewish deaths, and then exploiting the Holocaust to enrich themselves and displace the Arabs from Palestine.
One of the cartoons was documented in 2010.
Let's go to the videotape.
Jonathan Tobin argues that showing anti-Semitic cartoons ought to undermine international confidence in Iran's intentions with respect to its nuclear program.
The cartoons are important not just because they are offensive, but because they reflect the mindset of the Iranian government. Anyone who thinks the ayatollahs can be trusted with a nuclear weapon or with even a peaceful nuclear energy program — which may be the “compromise” that Tehran will agree to in order to allow the West to back away from a confrontation over the issue — needs to understand that the hatred for Jews and Israel is integral to the ideology of the regime and its ultimate goals.
The purpose of the cartoons and other forms of anti-Semitic propaganda promoted by Iran is to demonize Jews and to justify their destruction. Iran is not Nazi Germany, but Iran’s efforts to portray Jews as subhuman creatures who sucked money from Europe and land from the Arabs are strikingly similarly to the propaganda that was used to prepare the way for the Holocaust.
Iran’s defenders, such as German Nobel laureate and SS veteran Gunter Grass, depict it as an innocent victim of potential Israeli aggression. But he and other European detractors of Israel who pose as advocates of “human rights” seem remarkably indifferent to the fact that Tehran has become, along with other Muslim capitals, one of the leading exporters of vile anti-Semitic propaganda to the West. The more one learns about the way Iran’s government promotes Jew-hatred the less convincing arguments that claim the ayatollahs are not interested in a war of annihilation against Israel and the Jews sound.
Indeed. But given that the world sat silent 70 years ago as one third of World Jewry was wiped out by the Nazis, is there any reason that any of us should believe that the World won't let it happen again?
German public television airs uncritical Ahmadinejad Holocaust denial interview
German public television ZDF (Second German Television) broadcast an uncritical, 42-minute interview with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in which the Iranian denied the Holocaust. For those of you who speak German, you can find the full interview here - thus far I have been unable to find a translation. But here's a summary.
The Holocaust is “a lie of Israel” that allows the Jewish state to hurt the Palestinians, Ahmadinejad said in the ZDF interview broadcasted last week.
Claus Kleber, a brand name journalist for ZDF, a tax-payer funded, public station, aired the 45-minute interview on the popular news channel.
Dieter Graumann, head of Germany’s 105,000 member Jewish community, told the Bild am Sonntag paper that ZDF provided Ahmadinejad a platform to spread his “poison.”
“I am very disappointed that a respected German journalist, and on top of that, a public station, allowed the most brazen remarks from notorious Holocaust denier Ahmadinejad to remain unchallenged,” Graumann said.
Cleber said he did not contradict Ahmadinejad because he did not want to give him the opportunity to “fully spread his rubbish,” according to a statement cited in the Berlin daily Tagesspiegel.
Holocaust denial is illegal in Germany, but Iranian diplomats and politicians have denied the Shoah at state-funded events in Germany.
German authorities chose not to purse violations of the country’s Holocaust denial law in 2008 against senior Iranian politician Mohammad Larijani for denying the Holocaust at a German Foreign Ministry event in Berlin. A year later, his brother, Iranian parliament speaker Ali Larijani, issued statements containing elements of Holocaust denial at the annual Munich Security Conference, saying his country has “different perspectives on the Holocaust.”
While Germany enforces its anti-Holocaust denial law against neo-Nazis, the authorities fail to apply it to Iranian officials.
German-Iranian scholar Dr. Wahied Wahdat-Hagh told the mass circulation Bild in Sunday’s article that the ZDF interview was “careless.”
“Ahmadinejad was able to present himself as a quite friendly head of state who presented Iran as the victim of an indiscriminate use of Israeli state power. The interview was celebrated as a great success in Iran and an unbelievable prize win for Ahmadinejad, and this was made possible by a broadcast from our publicly funded television!” he said.
Wahdat-Hagh, who has written extensively about human-rights violations in Iran and Islamic-animated anti-Semitism, is the author of a new book, The Islamist Totalitarianism.
The fact that Ahmadinejad and the Iranian leadership are far less isolated than they ought to be is the ultimate proof that anti-Semitism is alive and well in the world today.
On Tuesday, Israel's President, Shimon Peres, visited a US company that believes that Holocaust denial is not a form of hatred. That company - Facebook - set up two pages for Peres. Unsurprisingly, it appears that Peres did not raise the issue of Facebook's coddling of Holocaust denial and other forms of anti-Semitism. He should have.
Facebook has drawn an artificial distinction between generic forms of expression of hatred, which they ban, and Holocaust denial, a specific form of incitement to hatred, which they should ban, but do not.
In the US, Holocaust denial is recognized as a form of hate. Because incitement to hatred is protected under the First Amendment, Congress cannot pass laws to prevent it. Facebook, on the other hand, can and does prohibit the use of its service to promote hate. As a private company it has that right.
By refusing to accept that Holocaust denial is a form of hate, Facebook lends legitimacy to the deniers and strikes against a human rights consensus. Holocaust denial attempts to murder the victims a second time by killing their memory. Facebook must change its policy so the software platform does not facilitate this.
We strongly feel such a policy change would be more than symbolic. A new policy for Facebook would not only be morally correct, it would make life much easier for Facebook staff, as it is easier to recognize a page or group dedicated to Holocaust denial than it is to trawl through it to find references calling for the murder of Jews. Facebook, which bans pictures of breast-feeding mothers, does not need to make the hurdles so high when it comes to the hatred of Jews.
In an extended interview with Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook's chief operating officer, that was streamed live over the social network, Peres talked about everything from technology's role in reclaiming the Israeli desert to the need for equal rights for women in the Arab world and Facebook's role in helping Israel make peace with its neighbors.
"What you are doing is convince people they don't have reason to hate. Hate is an unnecessary addition to our lives," Peres said in response to a question from a Facebook engineer about how the social network could help promote peace in the Middle East. Through Facebook, "they begin to talk and ask each other . . 'What is the difference between Israel and other countries? We have the same problems.' They wouldn't take a directive from us, but through you, yes. Because you are not the government; you are a facilitator, not a ruler."
It's sad that the President of Israel is so busy trying to please everyone that he can't speak up for what's right. At least on this one, we expected better.
Occupy AIPAC denies Holocaust-denying cartoonist works for them
Some of you may remember the morons from Occupy AIPAC from last year's conference. It's just that then they were known as Move Over AIPAC. This year they've been using cartoons by Carlos Latuff in their publicity. Latuff took second place in Iran's Holocaust cartoon conference a few years ago. But don't let that make you think badly of the folks at Occupy AIPAC (being organized by the Hamas lovers at Code Pink). They didn't know Latuff draws Holocaust denying cartoons. They just like his other work. But they claim he doesn't work for them. Read the whole thing.
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
