Labels: American Jews, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Jews, US presidential campaign 2016
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 11:02 PM
4 comments
Labels: anti-Semitism, Barack Hussein Obama, Binyamin Netanyahu, Christians, Iran sanctions regime, Iranian nuclear threat, Jews, Mark Levin, Muslims
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 5:42 PM
2 comments
Labels: humor, Jen Psaki, Jews, US State Department
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 1:09 PM
0 comments
The event gathered nearly four million people, but seeing in it a mobilization against terrorism, jihad and anti-Semitism would be a mistake. Leaders of "anti-Zionist" left-wing organizations that support Hamas were present. Ministers of states financing jihadist terrorism, and even genocide, were also there.
The Ambassador of Saudi Arabia attended, shortly after his nation had just finished flogging Raif Badawi, a young Saudi blogger accused of "insulting Islam," with the first fifty lashes of his sentence of 1000 lashes plus 10 years in prison, for practicing the most gentle free speech. Badawi is now being flayed alive -- "very severely," the lashing order said. He has 950 lashes to go.
Turkey, which hosts part of the leadership of the genocidal Hamas organization, was there. Turkey has also jailed more journalists than any other country, including Iran and China.
Mahmoud Abbas, the president of a Palestinian unity government, which includes Hamas and directly supports jihadist terrorism as well as genocide, was at the forefront -- smiling. Binyamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel, was initially not invited. He came anyhow. French officials let him know that he was not welcome and not to speak. He spoke anyhow. As a sign of disapproval, French officials left the Grand Synagogue of Paris during the ceremony for the dead Jews, before Netanyahu's speech.
The President of the populist National Front, Marine Le Pen, was also not included. She is silent. She is sure a coming explosion will happen, and that she will receive more votes.
The slogans in the demonstration spoke of "free speech" and the need to "live together." Signs saying "I am Charlie" were everywhere. Signs saying "I am a Jew" ["Je suis Juif"] were rare.
No signs or slogans mentioned jihad or the need to combat jihad or terrorism: the watchword was that these subjects should be shunned. No signs or slogan mentioned anti-Semitism or the real cause of jihadist attacks: caricatures of Mohammed, considered by Koranic law to be blasphemous. Those subjects had to be abandoned.
Few French Muslims came -- the tiniest drop in a huge ocean -- and the television cameras immediately homed in on them. They were interviewed and stated their only concern: "Avoid stigmatization of the Muslim community!"
Prime Minister Manuel Valls had told journalists he was "afraid" for Muslims. Two days later -- and only two days later -- on January 13, he said that "France is at war against terrorism, jihadism and radical Islam." He added immediately that one of his priorities was to fight mercilessly against "Islamophobia."This reminds me of George Bush in the aftermath of 9/11 saying that 'you're either with the terrorists or against them,' while insisting that Islam is a 'religion of peace.' It muddles (and muddies) reality. For those of you who don't get it yet, here's a dose of reality.
Anyone who watches television and sees what is happening in many Muslim countries has to be doubting that Islam is peaceful. Most Muslim "experts" invited to speak are familiar with Islam, familiar with the internet and familiar with what is going on in many Muslim countries -- but they lie. Almost all of them are militants, imams, Muslim scholars. Most of them are members of Islamic organizations. Many belong to the French branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, and the French have just obligingly given them a platform.
The idea that Muslims have to be integrated was discussed many times -- in vain. The absence of integration has worsened decade after decade. "Experts" invited to speak about integration were forcefully lying too. Those who knew the truth and could tell it were kept away.
More than 750 no-go zones exist in the country, all under the sway of gang leaders and radical imams.
More than 60% percent of inmates in French prisons are Muslim. And future Amedy Coulibalys, Cherif Kouachis, Mohamed Merahs and Mehdi Nemmouches are radicalized every year before going off to train for jihad in Syria or Yemen.
Terrorism experts say that dozens of jihadists are preparing attacks in France alone, and that more deadly attacks will take place. They stress that many terrorist sleeper cells exist in the country. France is a country where gun ownership by ordinary citizens is forbidden. So most people are powerless against aggressors, as tens of thousands of guns are hidden in basements.But to the New York Times, the fact that 60% of the prison population is Muslim has nothing to do with Muslims or Islam. They're blaming France.
The profiles of the three attackers — Amedy Coulibaly and the brothers Chérif and Saïd Kouachi — are an indictment of the decades-long failure of France to address long-festering alienation and exclusion among too many Muslim immigrants and their French-born children. Unemployment is as high as 40 percent among youths in France’s disadvantaged neighborhoods. All three attackers grew up in poverty. Chérif Kouachi and Mr. Coulibaly spent time in prison. All ultimately found deadly purpose in Islamist terrorism.
Prison was the crucible of their radicalization. There are five million to six million Muslims in France, less than 10 percent of the total population, but 60 percent of France’s prison inmates are of “Muslim culture or religion,” according to a report presented to France’s National Assembly. It was in prison that Mr. Kouachi and Mr. Coulibaly met the Qaeda recruiter Djamel Beghal. To stem recruiting by Islamist extremists in prisons, the government of President François Hollande has announced it will seek to isolate identified Islamist proselytizers from other prisoners.
The New York Times objects to blasphemy? That's a good laugh. Too bad they don't object to it when the targets are Jews or Christians - only when they're Muslims.There is also the problem of France’s secularism. A ban on head scarves in public schools and on full-face veils feels to many Muslims like an unfair constraint on their religious freedom. Some also find it hard to accept that blasphemy is not a crime in France, and that Charlie Hebdo and other publications have a right to satirize religious leaders. Some students in French schools with large immigrant and Muslim populations refused to participate in the national minute of silence following the Charlie Hebdo attack because they objected to what they had heard about the magazine’s depictions of the Prophet Muhammad.
French Jews could see on January 11 that Prime Minister Netanyahu was not welcome, while Abbas and other supporters of jihad were celebrated. They see how speaking ill of Israel blows through the mainstream media and feeds increasing Jew-hate. They see the French parliament vote for the creation of an admittedly genocidal "Palestinian State."
They see that they are unarmed and that the soldiers in the streets will not be there forever. They see that jihadists are preparing more attacks. They see no-go zones grow increasingly turbulent. They see what is happening in prisons. They see that the French justice system gives short terms to jihadists and releases them quickly. They see that the government cannot stop mass riots and has no way to prevent more attacks. They see that if just Jews had been targeted in recent attacks, no protests would have taken place. Each year they see more Jews leave the country. Seven thousand left for Israel in 2014, and the Jewish Agency for Israel expects 15,000 this year.
The Muslim population is largely silent, except in the heavily-Muslim suburbs, where those who support Coulibaly and the Kouachi brothers can speak without risking arrest. Those who speak officially in the name of the French Muslim community explain that Islam is not the threat, that the real culprits are those who "insult Islam," and that "the main victims" are Muslims.
The rest of the French population is not convinced. Several polls show that more that 70% of the French think Islam is incompatible with democracy and Western civilization; those polls predate the recent attacks.The only thing everyone agrees on is that this month's terror attacks in France are only the start, and much bigger explosions are coming.
Labels: Charlie Hebdo, France, Islam, Islamic terrorism, Jews, liberal media bias, New York Times
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 7:33 PM
0 comments
In the aftermath of the Paris attacks last week, the New York Times is understandably interested in hearing about the experiences of minorities in Europe these days. That is commendable. It’s just the kind of journalism that sheds light on everyday life of people facing adversity the world over. It’s important and informative and insightful, and we applaud it, and look forward to reading it.
Scratch that. Actually, the Times is obsessively interested in the experiences of only one minority group in Europe: Muslims.
To that end, the paper has issued a call to its Muslim readers abroad to share their experiences.
“The deadly attacks in Paris on Charlie Hebdo, a satirical French newspaper that lampooned Islam, and a kosher grocery store heightened tensions in Europe, where the increasing radicalization of young Muslims appears to coincide with a growing anti-Islamic sentiment.”
It’s hard to understand the paper’s continuing obsession, in their surveys and on their editorial page, with the mortal threat of “Islamophobia”—a dubious term that lumps together actual crimes with thought-crimes, like reprinting the cover of Charlie Hebdo—when the people being harassed, beaten, and murdered in Europe these days are Jews. This is especially true when the people doing the harassing, beating and killing are Islamists.The Times changed its headline during the day on Thursday. But the bottom line is that they're really only interested in hearing from Muslims. And the stupid Jews keep reading that rag and trusting it as a news source.
Labels: France, Islamic terrorism, Islamophobia, Jews, liberal media bias, Muslims, New York Times, pandering to Muslims, Paris
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 8:30 PM
0 comments
What a statement: thousands attend funeral of 4 murdered Paris Jews who were buried today in Israel: pic.twitter.com/op5Evv9oQm via @LukeReuters
— Yair Rosenberg (@Yair_Rosenberg) January 13, 2015
Labels: France, Islamic terrorism, Israel, Jews
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 9:16 PM
0 comments
#Developing: Temple Mount "must be reopened to Muslim worshippers," @statedeptspox says. #Israel #jpost
— Michael Wilner (@mawilner) October 30, 2014
Only to Muslims? Not to Jews or Christians?Labels: Christians, Jews, Muslims, prayers, State Department obsession with Israel, Temple Mount
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 8:11 PM
1 comments
Labels: Arabs, Gaza, Hamas, hypocrisy, Jews, Pat Condell, progressives
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 9:34 AM
0 comments
Labels: Gaza, Hamas, IDF, Jews, Operation Protective Edge
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 7:17 AM
0 comments
But on Sunday, Kerem Shalom resident and married dad, Daniel Meteri, 27, snapped.
He’d had enough of the hundreds of rockets in the sixth day of Operation Protective Edge, and the thousands before then, and for three hours refused to move his vehicle parked across the two-lane road leading to the crossing point, at the southern end of the Strip.
His wildcat strike halted a several-kilometer-long line of trucks carrying goods to the Palestinians.
“I have no problem with them receiving humanitarian aid,” he told Israel’s Channel 2 News.
“Gas, fuel, medical supplies - no problem,” he said. “But cola and all these other luxuries? They fire at us and we’re giving them goods so they can keep firing?” he asked aloud.
“Why are we supplying them concrete – so they can build another tunnel under the kibbutz?” he asked, and claimed that the drivers waiting to deliver their loads support his stance.
“The drivers who were delayed because of me support my position,” he said, adding that some of them are area residents.
“There were even drivers from (the Bedouin Negev city of ) Rahat who agreed with me, saying that they, too, were under fire,” he said, emphasizing that “this isn’t a matter of Arabs against Jews – we’re all against Hamas.”I'm so glad to hear that there are still some smart Jews in this country.
Labels: Gaza, Hamas, humanitarian aid, Jews, Operation Protective Edge
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 12:49 PM
0 comments
Six suspects were in custody Sunday night on suspicion of being involved in the murder of Mohammed Abu Khder. The six were arrested earlier Sunday.
According to Channel Ten news, police were granted a request Sunday afternoon to extend the remand of five of the six for eight days. The sixth one will remain in custody for five days. Earlier reports said that three of the six had been released. Reports also said that the six are mostly members of an extended family, and live in Jerusalem, Beit Shemesh, and the town of Adam in the Binyamin region.
Police sources have also said that the six “connected themselves” to the incident. Channel Two said that one of the six confessed to the crime and implicated the others.Honenu has agreed to represent them. Honenu usually represents persons involved in pro-'settler' activity. I hope this doesn't mean that there are 'settlers' involved in this (although Adam is located in Samaria just north of Jerusalem).
Labels: Jews, kidnapping, murder, Palestinians, terrorism
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 8:31 PM
5 comments
An investigative report in Makor Rishon cites La Stampa Vatican Insider journalist Andrea Tornielli as saying that the deal has been nearly completed, and that Deputy Foreign Minister Ze'ev Elkin is in charge of the negotiations with the Vatican, but Israel denies any such deal.
The agreement allegedly contains two elements. The first is Israel's forgoing the levying of property tax and other taxes for all “churches, holy sites, prayer houses and cemeteries.” The second is the transfer of the “Last Supper room” on the floor above David's tomb to the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land (Custodia Terræ Sanctæ).
Rabbi Yaakov Sevilia, an activist for King David's Tomb, told Arutz Sheva Sunday that there is also a deal between Christians and Muslims, according to which the Muslims will retain control over the Temple Mount whereas Mount Zion will become Christian property. He cited journalist Gulio Meotti, who contributes regularly to Arutz Sheva, as the source for this knowledge.
Rabbi Sevilia emphasized that the tomb is, without a doubt, the burial place of King David, and mentioned a recent book – “The Secret of David's Tomb” – as containing proof of this claim.
"The Christians believe that the Tomb of David is indeed located here, but they do everything possible to confuse us, the Jewish people, so that we lose our connection to this place,” he accused. He added that while there has been a Jewish awakening with regard to the site, the Christian presence at the tomb is still much greater than the Jewish presence, with about 200 tour buses bringing Christians to the site daily.
There have been reports in the past about a deal to transfer the second floor of the Tomb to the Vatican. Tornielli says that this is the core issue in talks between the Vatican and Israel.
Rabbi Sevilia claims that the Last Supper Room is just a toehold that the Vatican intends to expand in the future, in a ploy to take over the entire Tomb site.Two points. First, I'd like to know what Israel is getting in this 'deal.' If anyone can find anything, please let me know because I don't see it.
Labels: Catholic Church, Jews, Muslims, Old City of Jerusalem, Vatican
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 5:42 PM
2 comments
Labels: BDS, Jews, Muslims, Nobel laureates
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 2:25 PM
1 comments
B'nai Brith Canada has learned from Canadian Jewish tourists aboard a Norwegian Jade cruise ship that Israeli tourists have been denied the right to disembark when the ship dropped anchor at the Port of Tunis, Tunisia. As passengers began preparations to visit the country, Israelis on board were quietly told that they were not welcomed by the Tunisian Government and would have to remain onboard.Aren't you glad that there was an Arab spring so that all the Muslim countries get self-determination?
According to some Jewish passengers no prior notice was issued, either in writing or by public announcement. The cruise line also failed to advise passengers in advance that Israeli tourists would be confined to the ship when arriving at the Tunisian port. Other Jews aboard were unaware that their coreligionists were being detained and were outraged when news of the incident spread.
According to B'nai Brith Canada's CEO, Frank Dimant, "The cruise line has a responsibility to it's passengers to advise them of this discriminatory policy in advance. Better still the cruise line should avoid ports that have such policies. "
Labels: Jews, Muslim anti-Semitism, Tunisia
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 8:57 PM
3 comments
Heh.In 1954, when Ben Gurion was Prime Minister, he traveled to the USA to meet with President Eisenhower to request his assistance and support in the early and difficult days of the State of Israel.John Foster Dulles, who was the then secretary of state, confronted Ben Gurion and challenged him as follows:"Tell me, Mr. Prime Minister - who do you and your state represent? Does it represent the Jews of Poland, perhaps Yemen, Romania,Morocco, Iraq, Russia or perhaps Brazil? After 2000 years of exile can you honestly speak about a single nation, a single culture? Can you speak about a single heritage or perhaps a single Jewish tradition?"Ben Gurion answered him as follows:"Look, Mr. Secretary of State - approximately 300 years ago the Mayflower set sail from England and on it were the first settlers who settled in what would become the largest demo-cratic superpower known as the United States of America. Now, do me a favor - go out into the streets and find 10 American children and ask them the following:What was the name of the Captain of the Mayflower?How long did the voyage take?What did the people who were on the ship eat?What were the conditions of sailing during the voyage?I'm sure you would agree with me that there is a good chance that you won't get a good answer to these questions.Now in contrast - not 300 but more than 3000 years ago, the Jews left the land of Egypt.I would kindly request from you Mr. Secretary that on one of your trips around the world, try and meet 10 Jewish children in different countries. And ask them:'What was the name of the leader who took the Jews out of Egypt?''How long did it take them before they got to the land of Israel?'What did they eat during the period when they were wandering in the desert?''And what happened to the sea when they encountered it?''Once you get the answers to these questions, please carefully reconsider the question that you have just asked me!"
Labels: David Ben Gurion, Dwight Eisenhower, Jews
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 2:04 AM
5 comments
The bill would seek to ban public employees from wearing large Christian crosses or religious headwear such as that worn by Sikhs, Muslims and Jews while at work.
Richard Marceau, a former politician who now advises the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, wrote a column for Huffington Post criticizing the proposal.
“How could one believe that a kippah-wearing Jewish librarian is… trying to impose his religion on society?” Marceau wrote.
The details of the proposed law were leaked to Journal de Montrèal last week, but the Parti Quebecois, which heads the provincial government, has refused to confirm them or answer questions related to the issue.
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 7:33 PM
2 comments
Haroun, the president of the Egyptian Jewish community, doesn’t enjoy hearing anti-Semitic slurs on the street. She gets nervous when she hears Egyptians are burning the churches of Coptic Christians, a much larger religious minority than the country’s tiny Jewish community.
She assumes that most of her compatriots have forgotten there are any Jews left in Egypt.
But when protesters filled Cairo’s Tahrir Square at the end of June calling on President Mohamed Morsi to step down, she was right there with them.
“The amount of people in Tahrir was breathtaking,” Haroun told JTA. “The unity between people was breathtaking. Some of the people recognized me because I was on TV. They were shaking my hand and telling me, ‘God bless you. You are a real Egyptian.’ ”
Haroun, 61, is the youngest of the 14 women who make up Cairo’s dwindling Jewish community. Most are now in their 80s, living off charity and rental income from properties the community has owned for generations.
But though small in number, Haroun says the community is proud of its country and, like many Egyptians, supportive of the army’s campaign to quell Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood.
...
Jews have lived in Egypt for millennia. Around the time of Israel’s founding in 1948, the community was estimated to number 75,000, but in the decades that followed the vast majority fled.
Those that remain are happy to call Egypt home, Haroun says. Although she has relatives in several European countries, she vows to “never, never, never” leave.
“I’m very proud to be here,” she said. “I want to do whatever I can to help. We are a strong people. I am very happy now that people [are] in the street. Instead of talking about football, they are talking politics. There is more awareness about the importance of our country.”
On Tuesday, CNN reported that the White House was withholding some military aid to Egypt in protest of the military’s violent crackdown on Morsi supporters. But for Haroun, the army’s assertion of control is a welcome development she sees as “fighting terrorism.”
Haroun says the Jewish community thus far has not experienced any anti-Semitism as a result of the fighting — probably, she says, because it’s so small.
Under Morsi’s rule, however, it was a different story.Read the whole thing.
Labels: Cairo, Egypt, Egyptian army, Egyptian regime change, Islamic anti-Semitism, Jews, Mohammed Morsy, Muslim Brotherhood
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 12:21 AM
1 comments
An Iranian-sponsored female agent in her 50s, holding a Canadian passport, traveled from Istanbul to Sofia several weeks after the bombing of the Israeli tour bus in the Black Sea resort town of Burgas in July 2012. She was arrested on her first day in Sofia after the Bulgarian police, on high alert, noticed she was monitoring the Chabad center.
Her mission was to survey the Chabad center – which houses a synagogue – and not the main Sofia Sephardi synagogue, as first reported.
The Canadian may be a dual Iranian-Canadian citizen.
...
Dr. Matthew Levitt, director of the Stein Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, and a leading authority on Hezbollah’s global terror operations, told the Post that, “It would not surprise [us] if Iran or Hezbollah were found to be behind this plot [against the Chabad center] last year. Recall that five years earlier Western intelligence indicated that ‘Hezbollah chiefs and Iranian intelligence officials had put Bulgaria on a list of nations propitious for developing plots against Western targets.’ “Their first attempt at killing Israeli tourists failed when a suspicious package was noticed on a bus carrying Israeli tourists from Turkey to Bulgaria in January 2012. Six months later Hezbollah operatives struck again, this time with devastating success in Burgas.”
The latest disclosure about Iran’s alleged monitoring of the Chabad center may add new weight to the EU talks about banning Hezbollah, Iran’s chief proxy in Europe.
Dr. Wahied Wahdat-Hagh, an expert on Iranian terrorism in Europe and senior fellow with the Brussels-based European Foundation for Democracy, told the Post on Saturday, “Europe needs to wake up and learn from Hezbollah’s terrorism.” He said the group uses Iranian “know-how and money” to launch its terror attacks.Islamic terror organizations have a special place in their hearts for Jews in general, and for religious Jews and especially for Chabad in particular. People who are visibly Jewish seem to disturb them more than others. And the world doesn't care.
Labels: anti-Semitism, appeasement, Bulgaria, Chabad House, designated terror organization, European Union, Hezbullah, Jews
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 8:57 AM
0 comments
According to Foreign Ministry sources who saw Shavit's account of the meeting, Timerman was "upset and really angry" that Israel had demanded explanations of the Argentine ambassador. He apparently launched into a long monologue in which he assailed Israel for intervening in Argentina's internal affairs and even charged that such behavior encourages anti-Semitism. Shavit was barely able to utter a word in response, as he cut her off repeatedly, according to sources.
"Israel has no right to demand explanations; we're a sovereign state," Timerman reportedly told her. "Israel doesn't speak in the name of the Jewish people and doesn't represent it. Jews who wanted or want to live in Israel moved there, and they are its citizens; those who live in Argentina are Argentine citizens. The attack was against Argentina, and Israel's desire to be involved in the issue only gives ammunition to anti-Semites who accuse Jews of dual loyalty."
Summoning the Argentine ambassador and then leaking the fact to the media was unacceptable behavior, he apparently continued. "Argentina doesn't summon the Israeli ambassador for explanations. If we wanted to, we could summon you here twice a month to demand explanations about a military operation in Gaza or construction in the settlements. But we don't do that, because we don't want to intervene in your sovereign decisions."
Shavit responded angrily, according to sources. "As the Jewish state, Israel views itself as responsible to some degree for the welfare of [all] Jews and tracks anti-Semitism worldwide," she reportedly told Timerman. "Therefore, it helped Jews leave the Soviet Union, brought Jews from Ethiopia and, at times, also helped Jews in Argentina. You surely know what I'm talking about," she apparently added, referring to Timerman's own family history.
In the 1980s, Timerman's father, himself a Jew, was arrested by the right-wing military junta then running the country because he was a journalist who supported the left. He was held in prison in solitary confinement, but was finally released due to the intervention of the Israeli ambassador to Argentina and his staff - some of whom are today senior Foreign Ministry officials. They reached a secret deal with the junta under which Timerman's father would be allowed to leave the country. He moved to Israel for a few years, but returned to Argentina once the junta fell.
Shavit reportedly stressed that Israel wasn't trying to intervene in Argentina's decisions, but it did want explanations, due to the similarity between the AMIA bombing and an attack on the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires two years earlier. The Argentine police and security agencies believe that Iran and Hezbollah were behind both bombings. Nevertheless, Timerman decided to play dumb, according to sources.
"I don't know if there's any connection between the two attacks," he apparently said. "If Israel has any such information, I ask that you give it to us as a soon as possible."On Sunday, Isi Leibler wrote about the AMIA bombing in the Jerusalem Post, accusing the Argentinian government of collaborating with the murderers of their own citizens.
THAT THE Argentinian leaders could collaborate with such a cynical whitewashing of the murder of their own citizens and create a “truth commission” with a wretched, despotic, Holocaust denying regime should lead to the condemnation of the Argentinian government by the civilized world. It should be viewed as even worse than the Venezuela of Hugo Chavez, known to be one of Argentina’s principal allies and funders.Leibler notes Hector Timmerman's cynical and gratuitous role in this affair:
Underlying this move are the economic problems Argentina is facing in relation to its debts to the World Bank and other global institutions. As far back as March 2011, there were media reports alleging that Argentinian Foreign Minister Hector Timmerman had offered to freeze the AMIA inquiry in return for an upgrade in economic relations with Iran. It was also alleged that Timmerman had proposed that Syrian President Bashar Assad could act as an intermediary to facilitate such a deal. A purportedly leaked cable from Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Salehi was quoted stating, “Argentina is no longer interested in solving those two attacks, but in exchange prefers improving its economic relations with Iran.”
The current Argentinian Jewish communal leaders are a far cry from their courageous predecessors who led the community until the 1980s. Yet, despite being intimidated by Timmerman, they still conveyed muted distress concerning their government’s shameful whitewash of the Iranians responsible for the cold-blooded murder of their kinsmen.
However, a few years later in 1983 [Hector Timmerman's father Jacobo] published a second book brutally attacking Israel’s policies in relation to the Lebanon war and accusing prime minister Menachem Begin of destroying the moral integrity of the Jewish people and transforming Israelis into “efficient criminals.” He compared Israel to the fascist government of Argentina which had incarcerated and tortured him and called for a tribunal of Diaspora Jews to pass moral judgment on Israel’s leaders and the IDF. Shortly after publishing his tirade, he left Israel and died in Buenos Aires in 1999.
His hatred and lack of appreciation to Israel for saving his life was bequeathed to his son, Hector. Prior to becoming foreign minister, Hector’s Jewish background is alleged to have been a major factor contributing to his appointment as Argentina’s consul-general in New York, where he developed relations with influential members of the Jewish community.
As foreign minister, Timmerman presents himself as a devoted supporter of human rights. Yet he played a central role on behalf of the Argentinian regime in sanitizing the Iranian murderer of his own people. Orchestrating such a pact with one of the world’s worst abusers of human rights makes a mockery of his moral pretensions.
He also clearly relishes attacking Israel, seemingly oblivious to the fact that the Jewish state was responsible for saving his father’s life. Only last month, he compared the UK’s control of the Falkland Islands, which Argentina claims, to Israel’s “colonial” control of the West Bank.
Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner publicly attacked the head of Buenos Aires' Jewish community, hinting he was in contact with a "foreign espionage agency that knows of a new terror attack planned against Argentina."
Guillermo Borger, president of the AMIA Buenos Aires Jewish center, said the Argentina-Iran agreement to set up a committee to investigate the 1994 bombing of the center "will allow a third bombing in Argentina." In 1992 the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires was bombed.
"This pact is viewed by some people as a step forward. This may be a step to the precipice. It will allow a very unfortunate third attack," warned Borger.
The confrontation between Borger and Fernandez came to a head on Saturday as the president took to the national television airwaves and Twitter to defend the agreement.
"I read with concern the statements made by Guillermo Borger, president of AMIA,on the deal with Iran. What do you know to make a statement so terrible?" Fernandez asked on Twitter. "If there was an attack planned related to the agreement with Iran, who is the mastermind and the material author?"Argentina is another Jewish community that ought to be thinking about making aliya (many of them did in the 1970's during the Peron era). This is only likely to get worse whether in terms of Kirchner's relationship with the community, her cuddling up to Iran, or the exoneration of mass murderers of Jews. In any event, the message to the Jewish community of Argentina is clear: You're not wanted.
Labels: AMIA truck bombing, Argentina, Buenos Aires, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, Hector Timerman, Iran, Israel, Jews, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 10:29 AM
3 comments
Labels: Jews, World War II
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 12:43 AM
0 comments
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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