This comment ought to be read and re-read, because for once someone writing in a publication associated with the Left actually seems to get it.
The citizenship and piety of the victims is largely immaterial—this
was simply brutal, ideological murder. But the choice of victims does
tell us something about where these murders come from, and what they
mean politically.
In recent weeks, the usual hum of low-grade
Palestinian incitement has been raised to a fever pitch. There have been
allegations of murder and paranoid rumors of Israeli plans to dismantle
Muslim sanctuaries. Lone-wolf terrorists have rammed their cars into
crowds and stabbed young commuters at bus stops. The Israeli security
forces, expert in disrupting networks and intercepting infiltrations,
have found themselves helpless to stop it. How do you predict an attack
by a single local resident armed only with a car and a kitchen knife?
There
is irony in the latest attack. The synagogue was in Har Nof, an
ultra-Orthodox neighborhood in West Jerusalem. The worshippers lived in
internationally recognized Israel and almost certainly never served in
the army. They would never approach the Temple Mount, the holy site
where recent visits by Jews have supposedly triggered the latest wave of
Palestinian violence, because they believe that God’s law forbids it.
In other words, these worshippers should be among the least offensive to
Palestinians.
This is not to say that, for instance, last week’s murder
of 26-year-old Dalia Lemkus was less obscene because it happened near a
West Bank settlement. But the senselessness and brutality of the
synagogue assault, and the otherworldliness of the victims, lays bare
the inadequacy of rational political explanations for terror. No doubt
the murderers had their grievances (and some perhaps were reasonable),
but the butchery in Har Nof shows that any sense of strategy has been
overwhelmed by hate. The murder of non-Zionist Torah scholars is an
attack on Jews more than Israel, and explaining it requires an
understanding of hatred, not of politics. Perhaps the current celebrations throughout the West Bank and Gaza—replete with songs of praise on mosque loudspeakers and the festival-like delivery of sweets to children—goes at least part of the way to providing that.
Rarely has it been clearer: these men were killed simply because they
were Jews living in the land of Israel. That they were rabbis killed at
prayer is a potent symbol of the attack's senselessess, but their
orthodoxy also serves as evidence of how utterly self-defeating
Palestinian terrorism is.
Haaretz reporter Amira Hass was barred from a conference at Bir Zeit University because - wait for it - she's an Israeli Joooo. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! (Hat Tip: Gershon D).
Hass attempted to attend the "Alternatives to Neo-Liberal
Development in the Occupied Palestinian Territories – Critical
Perspectives" conference at the university, which is located near
Ramallah where she lives.
But she was ejected from the hall by the organizers, Hass
claimed, after students at the admission desk noted she worked for the
Israeli publication and alerted security authorities to intervene.
...
Her colleagues and professors told her that she was being ejected on
the one hand "for her own protection" and also to give the students "a
safe space" free of Jews.
Meanwhile, the University has officially denied that there was a problem.
"The administration has no objection to the presence of the
journalist [Amira] Hass," it insisted, in an official statement. "The
University distinguishes between friends of the Palestinian people and
its enemies ... and works with every person and institution who opposes
the occupation."
But Hass - who is well-known in Arab and leftist circles for her aggressive anti-Zionism, and provoked outrage last year for justifying rock-throwing attacks against Jews - angrily noted that she was "not told" about the policy and that "Palestinian
citizens of Israel [i.e. Israeli Arabs - ed.] who teach at Israeli
universities are not subject to the same policy."
Gee, maybe Hass ought to rethink who is democratic and who is not....
Amazing video: Jon Voight slams Obama and Kerry on Israel
At a pro-Israel rally in Las Vegas on Tuesday, actor Jon Voight slammed President Hussein Obama and US Secretary of State John FN Kerry for their treatment of Israel.
A 'Palestinian official' has called US mediator Martin Indyk a 'Zionist' who 'protects Israel.' If only....
"The U.S. mediator in the negotiations, Martin Indyk, is a Zionist
who protects the interests of Israel,” charged [Abbas] Zaki in a post on his
Facebook page.
He added, “If the Israelis believe that we will sell our
(Palestinian) problem for the release of 30 prisoners, then they are
wrong."
Zaki stressed that the PA will go to the UN to be recognized as a
state despite the anger of the U.S. which, he claimed, was observing the
situation through the eyes “of the Likud.”
Earlier this week, Sufian Abu Zaida, another member of Fatah, claimed that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s “Jewish advisors” are to blame for the impasse in the peace talks.
“All the members of the U.S. delegation to the negotiations are Jews,
except for Kerry, and they seek to implement Israel’s goals,” said Abu
Zaida, who did not mention any names but might have been referring to
Indyk as well.
But just give them a state and they'll stop being anti-Semites.... Right....
You might recall the story of Eilat-based Yitzhak Rabin Ramsy, and his quest for Israeli citizenship. Rabin and his mother have finally gotten their wish. Rabin and his mother got Israeli citizenship on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, after years of struggling with the Ministry, that wish
was finally granted by Interior Minister Gidon Sa'ar. Sa'ar traveled to
Eilat to present Rabin with his Israeli identity card - and citizenship -
in a special ceremony.
"I went to the Interior Ministry, the military and the media,"
Rabin's attorney, Naomi Gonen, told the press after the event. "I was
sure it would be easier, but then I found out that things work very
slowly to move through the system. It took a few months, but the main
thing is that in the end we succeeded - mainly thanks to the media, who
supported the cause."
"The struggle of Yitzhak Rabin ends now that he has successfully
obtained an identity card, and the gates of the country are open for
him," the attorney continued. "Were it not for the positive response of
the media in this fight to get him his citizenship, we would never have
succeeded."
This is the amazing story of a Jordanian baby named Yitzchak Rabin (who was so named two months after the original Rabin was assassinated) and his struggle to stay in Israel with his mother.
Protecting Yitzhak has been her life’s mission ever since he was
born, in January 1996, near the city of Irbid in northern Jordan—just
two months after the assassination of the original Yitzhak Rabin at the
hands of an extremist Israeli Jew opposed to the prime minister’s peace
overtures to the Palestinians. Miriam decided to name her son after the
Israeli leader in honor of the historic Israeli-Jordanian peace treaty
signed in 1994 by Rabin and Jordan’s King Hussein.
The problems started almost immediately. The media in both Jordan and around the world got windof the plan,
and the Jordanian Interior Ministry wouldn’t approve the name. Only the
personal intervention of King Hussein, Miriam says, allowed the couple
to prevail. “The king said, ‘Let them name the baby whatever they
want.’”
Local opposition to the move didn’t subside, however, especially after
King Hussein himself fell ill (he would die, in 1999, from complications
arising from cancer). The family was harried by Palestinians inside
Jordan who were strongly opposed to any reconciliation with Israel.
(Yitzhak’s parents are Bedouin Jordanians, also referred to as native
“East Bankers,” as opposed to Jordanians of Palestinian origin who came
to the Hashemite Kingdom as refugees in 1948 and 1967.) Miriam and her
infant son were forced to move from place to place like fugitives, even
spending nights in bus depots and a safehouse with an uncle in Amman.
...
The former first lady of Israel arranged for the family to emigrate,
and assisted them in their early years in Israel with work and
navigating bureaucratic hurdles. But she passed away in 2000, after
which the family fell on harder times.
Yitzhak, entering first grade in central Israel, was picked on by
kids in his class—“Arab-Israeli children, whose parents put thoughts in
their heads,” Miriam recalled. There were issues, too, between Miriam
and her Palestinian co-workers, who knew the family’s history. But the
most tragic situation befell Miriam’s brother back in Jordan, who,
according to Miriam, was murdered by a group of thugs as revenge for his
nephew’s name. Miriam took Yitzhak to Jordan with the intention of
attending her brother’s funeral, but, in her telling, a melee ensued at
the border crossing, where a small group of protesters awaited them. She
put Yitzhak, still a toddler, back on the bus to Israel, bruised and
bleeding. It was the last time he would set foot on the soil of his
native country.
Seeking a quieter existence away from the major Arab-Israeli
population centers of northern and central Israel, the family moved down
to Eilat, and have called the resort city on the Red Sea home for the
past 11 years. Given everything that has transpired, it’s no surprise
that Yitzhak has grown up wholly Israeli, surrounding himself with
Jewish friends, speaking Hebrew, and adopting Judaism as his own (he is
set to officially convert in the coming weeks).
As Kerry makes deal, Steinitz calls 'Palestinian Authority' anti-Semitic
With US Secretary of State John FN Kerry touting 'progress' in the 'negotiations' and heading for an unscheduled visit to Saudi Arabia on Sunday, Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz acknowledges the reality that the 'Palestinian Authority' is anti-Semitic.
Speaking at a live interview panel in Nes Tziona, Steinitz said: “We
see the bitter incitement and the anti-Semitism of the Palestinian
Authority under Abu Mazen (a.k.a. Mahmoud Abbas) as a primary obstacle
on the way to an agreement. My impression is that Abu Mazen wants a
Palestinian state, without peace, without security and without a real
end to the conflict.”
Steinitz promised to raise the subject in Sunday's weekly cabinet
session. “In tomorrow's session, I will present new and worrisome
findings regarding the incitement index
– the messages in the PA's educational system and television. According
to these messages, there is a need – sooner or later – to destroy the
state of Israel and drive out the Jews," he warned.
"When you examine the level of Palestinian incitement, you cannot
avoid the conclusion that Abu Mazen wants a Palestinian state as another
stage in the continued conflict with Israel," Steinitz added..
"I am not giving up,” he said. “We want to reach peace, but we must
not ignore these things, because peace is not just a peace of paper.”
Brandeis University finally acknowledges reality, suspends partnership with al-Quds University
Mr. Justice Brandeis can finally stop rolling over in his grave. Brandeis University has finally suspended its partnership with the 'Palestinian' al-Quds University. Although the relationship will be 'reevaluated' in the future, maybe Brandeis will finally recognize that these are the real 'Palestinians.'
The decision was made in light of recent events at the university,
which has campuses in Jerusalem, Abu-Dis and Al-Bireh, including a
November 5 Nazi-style demonstration at the main campus.
During the
demonstration, protesters marched in black military gear with fake
automatic weapons while waving flags and offering the traditional Nazi
salute. Banners with images of Palestinian suicide bombers decorated the
campus’ main square, according to a statement from Brandeis. Several
students also portrayed dead Israeli soldiers
Following the
demonstration Lawrence called on Al-Quds President Sari Nusseibeh to
issue in Arabic and English a condemnation of the demonstration.
Nusseibeh, as you might recall, is considered a 'moderate.'
In a statement issued to Al-Quds students Sunday, Nusseibeh said that
“Jewish extremists” were using the demonstration to “capitalize on
events in ways that misrepresent the university as promoting inhumane,
anti-Semitic, fascist, and Nazi ideologies.” Without these ideologies,
he said “there would not have been the massacre of the Jewish people in
Europe; without the massacre, there would not have been the enduring
Palestinian catastrophe.”
“As occurred recently, these
opportunists are quick to describe the Palestinians as a people
undeserving of freedom and independence, and as a people who must be
kept under coercive control and occupation. They cite these events as
evidence justifying their efforts to muster broad Jewish and western
opinion to support their position. This public opinion, in turn,
sustains the occupation, the extension of settlements and the
confiscation of land, and prevents Palestinians from achieving our
freedom,” Nusseibeh wrote.
The Brandeis University statement
called Nusseibeh’s message “unacceptable and inflammatory.” It added:
“While Brandeis has an unwavering commitment to open dialogue on
difficult issues, we are also obliged to recognize intolerance when we
see it, and we cannot – and will not – turn a blind eye to intolerance.”
It only took Brandeis 15 years to notice.... Now Mr. Justice Brandeis may return to his rest.
How the 'Palestinians' promote peace once John Kerry leaves town
The 'Palestinians' are doing all they can to bring about peace. Here's how 'Palestinian Authority' Television is helping.
Let's go to the videotape.
As it happens, US Secretary of State John Kerry was in Ramallah three days before this was shown on 'Palestinian' television. Do you think the 'Palestinians' were trying to send him a message?
And what do you think the odds are that those kids and the kids who watch them will ever be able to live in peace with Jews?
Just last week, for example, a journalist who requested a meeting
between Western journalists and a top Palestinian Authority official was
told "to make sure there were no Jews or Israelis" among the visitors.
The official's aide went on to explain: "We are sorry, but we do not meet with Jews or Israelis."
Another Palestinian journalist who tried to arrange an interview with
a Palestinian Authority official for a European colleague was turned
down "because the man's name indicates he is a Jew."
In yet another recent incident, a Palestinian Authority ministry
instructed its guards to "prevent Jewish reporters" from attending an
event in Ramallah.
It is not clear at this stage if the Palestinian Authority leadership
is behind the boycott of Jews and Israelis who seek to meet with its
representatives.
What is clear is that Palestinian Authority officials do not hesitate
to state in public that they do not want to meet with any Jew or
Israeli.
The Palestinian Authority representatives assume that if you are a Jew, then you must be pro-Israel or anti-Palestinian.
The only people with whom they want to meet are those who support the Palestinians and do not ask difficult questions.
Israeli journalists have actually been banned from the 'Palestinian Authority.' Someone ought to ask Jodi Rudoren (New York Times) and Sheera Frankel (McClatchy) if they hope to make it to Ramallah with John Kerry this week.
No word yet on whether Christians will be allowed in. But 'peace' is at hand.
Gaza student union posts cartoon: 'Clean the world of Jews'
The cartoon above was posted on the website of the Gaza Student Union. The character is in the colors of a 'Palestinian' flag, he's throwing a Star of David in the garbage and the caption says "keep the world clean."
The cartoon uses a Star of David rather than an explicitly Israeli
symbol, indicating that it is meant to refer to Judaism or the Jewish
nation as a whole and not the state of Israel alone.
The student union in question is known as the Islamic Bloc – in
Arabic, al-Kutla al-Islamiya. It operates in high schools, universities
and other educational institutions in Gaza. Its primary purpose is to
teach the next generation about the importance of, in Hamas’ words,
freeing Palestine from the Israeli occupation.
The apology says "We are whole-heartedly committed to fighting racism,
hatemongering, discrimination and persecution of any kind wherever it
should exist, and especially in our own society."
Yet the original offensive article was written and published in Arabic.Two days later, Miftah's Arabic website shows no indication of regret, apology or condemnation of the classic blood libel against Jews that it published. Readers of the Arabic website have only been exposed to the original blood libel article and to Miftah's justification for it
but they have not been informed by NGO that claims to "fight
hatemongering" that there was anything wrong about the original article.
(In fact, their attack against me and original justification for the
blood libel article as part of "its mandate for open dialogue" remains on its website as well. Was that also written by a "junior staff member"?)
As we saw back in the days of Yasir Arafat, saying one thing in English
and another in Arabic is a classic way to appease the West while keeping
the status quo to the intended audience.
Unfortunately, they waited until the 7th day of Passover to do it, so Elder of Ziyon, who broke the story, will likely not even have seen the story yet when the holiday ends in the US after sundown on Tuesday, but Hanan Ashrawi's Miftah, which receives massive western funding, has finally apologized for the blood libel against Jews that was published on the group's website (Hat Tip: Memeorandum).
This is from the third link.
Miftah at first defended its right to post the article in a statement titled, “MIFTAH denounces smear campaign against it.”
“The obscure pro-Israeli website ‘The Elder of Ziyon’ has wrongly
accused MIFTAH and Dr. Ashrawi of promoting Jewish blood libel during
Passover through its publication of an Arabic-language article that
briefly addressed the subject,” the defense stated.
The article was about promoting dialogue, Miftah maintained.
“The disclaimer at the opening of the ‘News and Analysis’ section
clearly states that, ‘The views represented in [News and Analysis] are
solely those of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the views
of MIFTAH but rather fulfill its mandate for open dialogue,’ ” the
statement continued.
...
Miftah on Monday recalibrated its position, issuing a full apology and blaming a low-level staffer for the situation.
“It has become clear to us after investigating this incident that the
article was accidentally and incorrectly published by a junior staff
member,” the apology stated. “The said staffer has been reprimanded and
all our staff has been informed as to the disgusting and repulsive
phenomena of blood libel or accusation, including its use against Jews.”
“Dr. Hanan Ashrawi, as founder, has nothing to do with the day to day
management at MIFTAH and was no way involved in this incident,” the
apology maintained.
I don't buy the 'low-level staffer' nonsense. Name me one 'Palestinian' organization that is not tightly controlled by the people behind it. I can't believe that Hanan Ashrawi didn't know about this article until it was published.
Second, if it was truly 'accidentally and incorrectly published,' why did the apology take so long and require so much condemnation of the article before it was issued?
Third, note the one thing they don't admit: That the article itself was a blood libel.
And by the way, when was the last time you saw a blood libel about anyone other than Jews?
'Palestinian' television: Europe issued Balfour declaration because they couldn't stand the Jews
As part of a special program for the anniversary of the founding of the Fatah terror organization, 'Palestinian' television told its viewers that Europe "suffered a tragedy by providing refuge for the Jews." Having Jews living among them placed a great burden on Europeans: Faced with the Jews' schemes, Europe
could not bear their character traits, monopolies, corruption, and their
control and climbing up positions in government."
Let's go to the videotape.
Actually, what Europe saw as an ideal solution for getting rid of the Jews was Hitler's final solution, which the 'Palestinian Authority' is now doing its best to implement.
Study confirms US aid to 'Palestinian Authority' is counterproductive
Veterans of Israel's intelligence community have issued a report (not the one pictured) that indicates that the $4 billion in US aid provided to the 'Palestinian Authority' since 1994 has been counterproductive.
However, a current study of Abu Mazen's and Salam Fayyad's school text books – conducted by veterans of Israel's Intelligence community – reaffirms that the $4 billion US foreign aid to the Palestinian Authority has been counter-productive. It has not inclined Palestinians towards peaceful coexistence, and it has not moderated Palestinian terrorism. In fact, since the 1994 inception of foreign aid to the Palestinian Authority, Palestinian terrorism has escalated, Palestinian non-compliance has become pervasive and support of peace among Palestinians has ebbed.
The study reconfirms that Palestinian school text books lay the groundwork for the next wave of Palestinian terrorism (Intifada); encourage Palestinian mothers to dedicate their children to suicide-bombing ("martyrdom"); idolize Jihad ("holy war"), bloodshed and families of suicide-bombers; promote the Palestinization of pre-1967 Israel as the overriding national goal; define Israel's establishment as an immoral and illegitimate act to be rescinded; eliminate any reference to Jewish roots within pre-1967 Israel; are devoid of any reference to peaceful coexistence; are consistent with the PLO's Palestinian Covenant which calls for the annihilation of Israel; delegitimize the existence – and not just the size – of the Jewish State; and cement the state of mind of the Palestinian society.
For example, "Our Beautiful Language" (7th grade, part 2, pp. 11-13): "We shall sow Palestine with [martyrs'] skeletons and skulls; we shall paint the face of Palestine with blood, but Palestine shall wash our face with heavenly water.…" "Our Beautiful Language" (7th grade, part 1,pp 28-29): "We are returning home to the plains and the mountains [of pre-1967 Israel], led by Jihad flags, by bloody struggles and by the willingness to sacrifice ourselves as martyrs…." "Islam" (8th grade, p. 46): The relevance to contemporary reality of historic Islamic conquests, including the 7th century victory over the Jewish tribe, Banu Qunaika, which was "slaughtered, raped and imprisoned." "Our Beautiful Language" (8th grade, part 1): "Our beloved Palestine is calling me; the orphaned cities [in pre-1967 Israel] yearn for me to return and rectify the [1948] blunder with storms and lightning…." "Islamic Studies" (8th grade, part 2 pp 62-75): "Jihad reserves a key role for youngsters, just like those who sought martyrdom during the days of the Prophet Muhammed….
...
Thus, while it is illegal for Congress to appropriate funds to hate-education in the USA, Congress has annually funded Abu Mazen's hate-education.
In 1994, Arafat assigned his loyal confidant of 50 years, Abu Mazen to establish the Palestinian hate-education system. Since January 2005 – upon replacing Arafat, and irrespective of his moderate style – Abu Mazen has perpetuated the anti-Jewish, anti-Israel and anti-US hate-education.
Inspired by his holocaust denial Ph.D. from Moscow University, the Abu Mazen system has promoted Hitler's "Mein Kampf" and the Soviet anti-Semitic "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion", which are best-sellers in the PA.
Thanks to foreign aid, Abu Mazen and Salam Fayyad authorize monthly allowances to families of “martyrs”/terrorists. They pay condolences visits to families of suicide bombers and name soccer tournaments, summer camps, streets and squares after notorious terrorists.
Abu Mazen's and Fayyad's educational legacy - and not their dialogue with Israeli and Western leaders and journalists – reflects most authentically their identity, ideology, strategy and vision.
Sustaining foreign aid to the PA would convince Abu Mazen that he can get away with hate-education and even be rewarded for it.
But no one in the Obama administration is going to agree to cut off aid to the 'Palestinian Authority.' In fact, an effort by Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fl) to condition aid to the 'Palestinians' and to certain countries on meeting certain performance standards has been greeted with hostility by Secretary of State Clinton. And so, the United States will continue to finance jihad and hatred.
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
