Shimon Peres z"l
Greetings from Paris - Charles DeGaulle where once again Every Landing Always Late. They've admitted to two hours and fifteen minutes so far. And to think that I ran like crazy thinking I had only an hour and fifteen minutes to make a connection (American left more than two hours late from Charlotte last night, but made up much of that time on the way).
That's okay, because I will have some time to work after I finish this post (and maybe another one) and Paris may be one of the most appropriate places in the world to talk about Shimon Peres, who passed away this morning at the age of 93, because he was fluent in French and because in his later years he so emulated the French.
Israel owes a lot to Shimon Peres, especially our alleged nuclear capability, which was his doing in the early 1960's. I saw a Facebook post this morning that claimed that Peres 'saved' the country from hyperinflation in the 1980's, but the person who wrote it was a child at the time, and I was an adult. I don't believe that's accurate.
There was much that Peres did in his later years with which I disagreed. Oslo (which was done
behind Yitzchak Rabin's back). His treatment of
Jonathan Pollard. His playing
fast and easy with Jewish lives to achieve his goals. His
undercutting of Begin on the Osirak attack. In fact, his
undercutting of Israeli governments generally in his later years, including during his term as President (a position he turned from
an honorary position into
a political one). And he was
reviled by many in Israel.
But most distressingly, Peres never seriously protested the kind of
myths promoted by the New York Times in its obituary of Peres.
Honest Reporting proves conclusively that the assertion that
Sharon's visit to the Temple Mount set off the intifada - a longstanding myth never protested by Peres - is false.
Palestinian Communications Minister Imad Al-Faluji, Al-Safir, 3 March 2001. (Translated by MEMRI):
Whoever thinks that the Intifada broke out
because of the despised Sharon’s visit to the Al-Aqsa Mosque is wrong..
. . This Intifada was planned in advance, ever since President
Arafat’s return from the Camp David negotiations, where he turned the
table upside down on President Clinton.
Yasser Arafat’s wife Suha (pictured above) said the following (from Palestinian Media Watch):
On the personal level, I miss him very, very
much. [Our daughter] Zahwa also misses him, you can’t imagine. She
didn’t know him. She knows that Arafat sent us away before the [Israeli]
invasion of Ramallah. He said: ‘You have to leave Palestine, because I
want to carry out an Intifada, and I’m not prepared to shield myself
behind my wife and little girl.’ Everyone said: ‘Suha abandoned him,’
but I didn’t abandon him. He ordered me to leave him because he had
already decided to carry out an Intifada after the Oslo Accords and
after the failure of Camp David [July 2000].
Imad Faluji, PA Minister of Communications:
Whoever thinks that the Intifada started because
of the hated Sharon’s visit to Al-Aqsa Mosque is mistaken. That was only
the straw breaking the Palestinian people’s patience. This Intifada was
already planned since [Arafat] the President returned from the recent
talks at Camp David [July 2000].” [Private filming of speech by Faluji, Dec. 5, 2000]
The Israel Project
notes that American diplomat Dennis Ross recounts in his book The
Missing Peace how the Israelis called Washington with proof that the
Palestinians were “planning massive, violent demonstrations
throughout the West Bank and the next morning, ostensibly a response to
the Sharon visit.” Washington pressured Arafat to dampen the violence, but the Palestinian leader – again per Ross – “did not lift a finger to stop the demonstrations, which produced the second Intifada.”
Who was Shimon Peres. Some interesting quotes are
here. He did some good for the State of Israel, but he took many actions, especially in his later years, that were based on delusions of grandeur that harmed many people.
Labels: Ariel Sharon, intifadeh, Jonathan Pollard, Menachem Begin, New York Times, Osirak, personal stuff, Shimon Peres, Suha Arafat, Yasser Arafat, Yitzchak Rabin
Thursday, the rabbi tries to defend himself (and fails miserably)
Greetings from Paris Charles De Gaulle where once again it is a travel day.
It was a crazy weekend, so I didn't get to post this, but on Thursday someone shared with me a long email received from Rabbi Neil Blumofe of Austin, Texas, trying to defend the itinerary for his 'even-handed' Israel trip that included a visit to the tomb of the father of terrorism.
The email is way too long to post in its entirety, but I want to post part of it and comment. The full email is embedded below.
In our tradition, we have intractable enemies. While we blot out Haman's
name on Purim, we do so as we articulate it. We must find allies and
must not retreat into absolute positions. To be present somewhere is not
to pay homage -- rather it is to say we are still here, reclaiming the
memories of those who Arafat and his followers murdered, and educating
others about the continuing dangers of his legacy. This tomb is a
propaganda tool that is used to shore up mindless support for our
dehumanization. In turn, not to discuss this stymies dialogue, which
leads to our peril. Let us not fall into this trap. To think otherwise
empowers our real enemies and continues to drive us apart, intensifying
our systemic, historical traumas.
Yes, the tomb is a propaganda tool, so why would you visit it? If you want to visit a place to prove the point that 'we are still here,' visit Auschwitz. Remind your congregants what happened when Jews had no place to flee, when there was no State of Israel, and when the British - in competition with France for the second biggest anti-Semites in Europe after the Germans - barred the doors to keep Arafat's uncle (the Mufti al-Husseini) happy. That's saying 'we're still here' - not visiting the tomb of a terrorist that you admit is a propaganda tool.
What dialogue is the rabbi afraid of 'stymieing' if he does not go to Arafat's tomb? Dialogue with the 'Palestinians'? Has the rabbi elected himself Prime Minister of Israel? Why is it that no Israeli government minister and no non-Arab Knesset member would dream of visiting Arafat's tomb except in an IDF tank? Maybe it's because nearly all Israelis - even the Left - understand that paying homage to Arafat, even if it would be 'identifying with the other,' would do precisely nothing to advance the 'peace process'?
Day after day, I speak to people who are concerned about the slackening
of support, and the growing difficulty of advocacy for Israel in our
charged, polarized political climate. We see the dangerous way that the
repugnant BDS movement (Boycott, Divest, and Sanction) movement has made
incursions on our college campuses and I applaud and support those on
these front lines, directly beating back these efforts that seek to
delegitimize Israel and dehumanize our Israeli brothers and sisters.
I'm glad to hear that. But if that's the case, why do you feel the need to cooperate with many of the groups that fund the BDS movement?
I believe that we must do something too. We must learn the language of
those with whom we disagree -- especially those with whom we most
profoundly disagree. We must see the narratives, symbols, and myths --
and question them. We must develop a more sophisticated, critical
understanding of the world around us, as opposed to reducing our
justified fears to an "us versus them" mentality. We must learn to think
for ourselves and not accept whatever we may read that encourages
embitterment and distance. We must learn to have more informed, examined
opinions and hear competing voices so we may be more fully confident
and present in our own story.
The problem is that the average Jew in America - and even many in Israel - have no idea what 'our own story' is. The very suggestion that the 'Palestinians' have an ancient connection to the land of Israel, or that their connection is anywhere near as longstanding as ours, is simply farcical. You've read Tanach. Do you believe it? Where were the 'Palestinians' during the time of the Tanach? Do you think it's acceptable for them to pretend that the Temples just didn't exist? You know they did. Are we obligated to listen to every narrative regardless of how ridiculous it is? Are we required to accord credibility to every narrative?
By the way, have you ever read Joan Peters'
From Time Immemorial?
I am sorry that a proposed stop in an internal draft document has caused
such furor. While it was a point of conversation within a larger
itinerary, I certainly do not seek public controversy and upon
reflection, I see it as a misstep in what I was seeking to accomplish.
What I think the rabbi might have missed is that the stop was just one point - the most outrageous one and the easiest one around which to rally opposition - in a
very problematic itinerary.
Here's the full email:
Labels: anti-Israel Jews, Austin Texas, Breaking the Silence, European anti-Semitism, Hillel, liberalism, NGO's, self-hating Jews, Truah, Yasser Arafat
Tuesday the rabbi's congregants conducted a witch hunt?
Yehuda Kurtzer, director of the Shalom Hartman Institute in the United States, published a lengthy and whiny piece in the Times of Israel complaining about the '
witch hunts' that are allegedly being conducted against 'my friend and colleague Rabbi Neil Blumofe — a great rabbi, leader, and
lover of Zion — was brutally smeared and defamed due to a perfidious
interpretation of how he built the itinerary for a congregational trip
to Israel.' That's a story I covered
here.
For those who have forgotten, Blumofe canceled the itinerary, and promised that a new one would be issued that
would not include a stop at Arafat's grave. Kurtzer brushes over that:
Rabbi Blumofe has expressed his regret for the decision to have his
synagogue stop at Arafat’s grave, as well as for the circulating widely
of a complicated itinerary that — taken out of context — was
misrepresented as the manifestation of an insidious agenda. One could
well imagine an aggrieved congregant who trusted Rabbi Blumofe’s
character taking issue with some of the trip’s content, express the
grievance, and then bring about a positive change. Once the grievance is
translated into the public sphere, however, even the capacity to bring
about change on the issue begins to decline.
The problem is that while the congregant who publicly took issue with Blumofe chose to focus on the Arafat stop - the most outrageous item - there was plenty more on the
itinerary that a true 'lover of Zion' would find objectionable. Look at the itinerary above, and tell me that it doesn't reek of a political agenda that doesn't reflect 'love of Zion.' Look at the 'extra' descriptions in the entries for June 8 and June 13. Note the lack of politics in the June 14 and 15 descriptions. Which sounds more like 'If it's Tuesday, this must be Belgium'?
This evening, I received by email the following reply to the Kurtzer article from Sloan Rachmuth, one of the people who demolished an attempt by a rabbi in Raleigh, North Carolina to visit Arafat's tomb (covered originally
here):
Rabbi K - why the rabbinical panicked hysteria in the face of communal opposition? Here you decry public objections to percieved rabbinical toʿevahs as "witch hunts." But in a marketplace of ideas this is called "opposition."
Opposition to these two rabbis occurred when they took a stand by publicly advertising (for money) a trip they had each planned, which included meeting with pro-Hammas groups topped off with a tribute to Arafat's grave to "understand his legacy." Our opposition to the actions of these two rabbis is not a withchunt, but a marketplace reaction best described by Newton's Law: for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
And this reaction did not happen overnight. Members in both the Norh carolina and Texas communities wrote letters and had persoanl meetings with these rabbis months before the media learned of these two controveries. We sought to understand why these rabbis would lead delegations from our states that clearly endorsed a pro-terror, anti-Israel message. The rabbis igored us, they refused to answer our questions on more than a dozen occasions.
Rabbi Solomon in Raleigh has now gone on the attack against us, publicly shaming us as haters and "right-wing extremists" and demands we shut up and stop asking questions about the trip. Rabbi Solomon recently implored the community in his shul to do whatever it takes to silence his opposition (us).
Was Rabbi Solomon's reaction here in Raleigh also a with hunt? Or opposition?
To great credit of Rabbis Solomon and Blumofe, they raise their voices in opposition to issues of civil righs violations here in the south. They both understand that they have a resposibility to raise their moral voices to the markeplace of ideas regarding racial justice and equality. These rabbis know that taking a stand has its rewards and, sometimes, opposition.
By taking the premeditated action to plan, promote, and now defend a trip with a pro-terror narrative while Israel and the world is seeing extremist terror first-hand; these two rabbis are experiencing opposition. Not a witch hunt.
In case you were wondering about Yehuda Kurtzer's pedigree... I asked. He is the son of former US Ambassador to Israel Dan Kurtzer, who was twice called a
Yehudon ('little Jew') a decade ago, and who had a lengthy history of interfering in Israel's internal affairs during his term here (same link).
The apple does not fall far from the tree.
Labels: anti-Israel Jews, Austin Texas, Breaking the Silence, European anti-Semitism, Hillel, liberalism, NGO's, self-hating Jews, Truah, Yasser Arafat
Lieberman: 'Abbas must go'
Using language rarely heard from an Israeli Minister about a 'Palestinian leader' since the death of Yasser Arafat, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has bluntly said that '
moderate' '
Palestinian' President
Mahmoud Abbas Abu Mazen must go.
The defense minister views Abbas as a bitter enemy of Israel and says that Abbas’s policies have eliminated any possibility of advancing the peace process.
In the past two weeks, Lieberman has said several times that defense officials meet frequently with West Bank Palestinians, without the involvement or approval of Abbas and his people.
“We’ve met dozens of economists and businessmen from the Palestinian Authority, and when you ask what’s most important for the Palestinian economy, they all reply that the most important thing is to get rid of Abu Mazen,” he said on one such occasion, referring to Abbas by his nickname. “He has imposed a reign of corruption that encompasses everything. He has people in every economic sector — in real estate, the fuel market, the communications market. Abbas’ people take a tithe from every deal, and aside from the people in the inner circle, the PA leadership doesn’t allow anyone there to develop economically.
“That’s why it’s so important for him to go,” Lieberman continued. “As long as Abbas is there, nothing will happen.”
Lieberman said he didn’t think Israel should actively work to end Abbas’ rule, but at the same time, he said, it shouldn’t blame itself for the situation in the West Bank.
“Not everything depends on us,” he said. “As long as the PA’s corrupt and ineffective management continues, the economic situation there won’t improve.”
The defense minister also charged that Abbas rarely visits Nablus and Jenin, the major cities of the northern West Bank, as he prefers to take diplomatic trips abroad. “He doesn’t want to deal with problems of economics and employment,” Lieberman said. “The entire system of management there has failed.”
All of which probably makes 'Abbas' no more corrupt than any other Arab leader. But then other Arab leaders don't lead a 'people' that have a real democracy in their midst as a standard of comparison.
By the way, yes, this could well be the end of the 'peace process.'
Last week, Arab media outlets reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin was trying to arrange a diplomatic summit between Abbas and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later this year. Netanyahu doesn’t use Lieberman’s blunt language, but he apparently shares the defense minister’s skepticism about the prospects for real diplomatic progress as long as Abbas remains in power. And, like Lieberman, he blames the impasse entirely on the Palestinians.
Those last two sentences are Haaretz whining, but what's more interesting is that the
Russians are denying that Putin ever made the suggestion.
Russia supports the Palestinian-Israeli settlement process, but there
are no specific agreements on holding a meeting of the sides’ leaders
in Moscow, Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said on
Monday.
"There are no specifics on this matter yet," he said, commenting on related reports issued by the Israeli media.
"Moscow maintains rather trust-based and active relations with both
the Israelis and Palestinians, but there are no specifics yet," he
added.
Hmmm.
Labels: Abu Mazen, Avigdor Lieberman, Middle East peace process, Palestinian Authority corruption, two-state solution, Vladimir Putin, Yasser Arafat
Friday, the rabbi canceled his trip
The rabbi of Beth Meyer Synagogue in Raleigh, North Carolina announced on Friday that the trip to Arafat's tomb is off.
On Friday, August 19, 2016, 10:15 AM, Beth Meyer Synagogue wrote:
August 19, 2016
Shalom Beth Meyer Family,
I write to you with a very heavy heart.
The past few weeks have been
extraordinarily painful for me, Rabbi Jenny, our congregation's leaders,
and many in the Beth Meyer family and extended Jewish community. This
letter - which admittedly is quite lengthy - is designed
to provide a detailed explanation of how this situation came about and
how I have chosen to resolve it.
During my time at Beth Meyer, I have led
four "pilgrimage" trips to Israel that visited many of the historic and
spiritually-rich sites that lift the soul and build one's love for and
connection to the State of Israel. These tours
included stops at sites that illustrate the threats and precarious
security issues Israel faces on a daily basis. I will continue to offer
such tours in the future.
A few months ago, I invited Beth Meyer
members to participate in a trip to Israel and the West Bank under the
auspices of MEJDI Tours, a company that provides customized educational
tours in regions worldwide suffering from conflict.
In this case, the tour was to be a "dual-narrative" tour with both
Israeli and Palestinian tour guides that would visit Israel and the West
Bank.
This process began some two years ago
when I first heard of MEJDI Tours and began to look into the
organization. I learned that MEJDI, in the past, has partnered with the
Israeli Ministry of Tourism, the Israeli Foreign Ministry,
Israeli educational institutions and numerous American synagogues. In
addition, MEJDI has been featured in a range of respected media outlets,
including Haaretz, Forbes and National Geographic Explorer.
After thoroughly researching MEJDI's
credentials with rabbis and Jewish leaders across the U.S. and Israel, I
was comfortable that MEJDI was, in fact, a non-partisan tour operator
that offers individuals unique immersive experiences
to learn about complex issues first-hand. MEJDI does not preach or
support any specific agenda or form of hate, violence or terror. Rather,
it is an apolitical organization that believes increased education and
understanding can help build bridges across cultures
and stimulate peace.
While studying in Israel in the summer
of 2015, I took the opportunity to tour the West Bank in a group that
had with it a Palestinian MEJDI guide. It was, to say the least, a
profound (and often surprising) experience that allowed
me to hear perspectives few of us ever hear. For example, the guide was
highly critical of the Palestinian Authority and its leaders, both past
and present. He condemned violence by Palestinians and emphasized that
he "despises Hamas." When I asked challenging
questions, his responses recognized weaknesses in Palestinian
positions. Moreover, he mocked the backwardness of the Arab world, as
well as its lack of support for human rights and democracy. And, while
he did criticize a number of Israeli government policies,
his words were balanced, thoughtful and nuanced.
After reviewing this idea with Beth
Meyer's leaders and securing their approval, I invited the Beth Meyer
family to participate in a MEJDI tour next spring. I wholeheartedly
believed I was helping to provide a rare opportunity
for seasoned Israel travelers to learn about the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict in a broader, deeper way. With expert guides who would be both
supportive and critical of their own government's policies, I hoped
participants would gain new insights and hear from
peace-makers working on the ground to make a difference. I thought,
perhaps naively, that this MEJDI tour would offer a different kind of
experience for Zionist, Israel-loving Jews who want to explore the many
intricacies of this terrible conflict.
For some in the congregation, there was
immediate interest in participating and many quickly submitted their
deposits. For others, there was no interest at all. Some congregants
asked thoughtful questions, and others criticized
my attempt to organize such a trip due to their belief that the
itinerary was unbalanced. And there were some who expressed serious
concerns about the potential damage the tour could cause the Beth Meyer
community and the image of the State of Israel.
While my intentions were pure, my heart
broke as I listened to the pain my actions had caused some congregants. I
listened carefully to this feedback and discussed what I heard with
Rabbi Jenny and synagogue leaders.
After deep reflection and
soul-searching, I have decided to cancel the trip. To anyone who feels
confused, hurt or upset on account of my actions, I sincerely apologize
and ask your forgiveness.
Please know my decision was not made
because I don't believe in the tour's value - I do. Nor was it made
because a handful of individuals outside of our holy congregation - none
of whom have ever talked or met with me - spread
inaccurate and misleading information about Rabbi Jenny and me that
spawned threats of personal violence. In this season of Tisha B'Av when
we remember the many tragedies of our people, personally experiencing
this kind of sinat hinam (baseless hatred) was
especially painful.
Rather, I made this decision because I
deeply love Beth Meyer and what we, as a family, have built these past
11+ years. And I want to emphasize that my love embraces each and every
one of you, regardless of where you land on the
spiritual, social or political spectra. I am touched that so many
congregants pleaded with me to move forward as planned, but I cannot -
and will not - do anything that jeopardizes the integrity of the Beth
Meyer family.
I want to thank everyone who has shared
their thoughts with me about this issue. Most particularly, I want to
acknowledge the input and guidance I received from our President Eric
Lamb, the Beth Meyer Synagogue Executive Board,
lay leaders and, of course, my wife and partner, Jenny.
Just as the Torah teaches that God
created the world with immense variety, so too my vision of our
congregation is one where we accept and celebrate both the common bonds
and differences among us. Civil discussion, respectful debate
and honoring diverse opinions are Jewish values that our people have
embraced for millennia. They are the values that form the foundation of
my rabbinate, and they are the values that make Beth Meyer such a
welcoming community.
When appropriate and rooted in Jewish
values, I will continue to take public positions on issues where I
believe my contribution can be constructive. I want to stress, however,
that I do not and never will expect to have consensus
across our membership on any issue, least of all, the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (In fact, if all I heard was a unanimous
"Amen," I would think something was wrong. It wouldn't be Jewish, and it
wouldn't be the Beth Meyer that I cherish!)
At some point in the future, perhaps,
our congregation may again consider an educational initiative such as a
MEJDI tour. But that would happen only after there has been ample
opportunity for all interested members to learn about
the opportunity and discuss it thoroughly with input from a broad
cross-section of our members.
In that spirit, I invite anyone who has
questions about this situation or would like to share any other
concerns to contact me via e-mail (
rabbi@bethmeyer.org ) or phone
(919.848.1420).
I will be delighted to sit down and hear your thoughts and ideas.
This episode, though challenging, has
been a valuable learning experience for all of us. I pray that we use it
to deepen the bonds we share and inspire us to continue nurturing the
Beth Meyer family and strengthening our commitment
to and love of God, the Torah, the Jewish people, the State of Israel
and one another.
At this moment, perhaps more than ever, I
thank God and each of you for the privilege of serving as Beth Meyer's
rabbi. Rabbi Jenny and I, along with our entire family, look forward to
welcoming the New Year with our holy, hamish (warm)
congregation at the High Holy Days.
B'ahavah (With love),
Rabbi Eric Solomon
Something tells me there may still be a trip in the future....
The problem with trying to 'understand the other' is that it only works if it's a two-way street. In Israel, much of our population spent 1993-2000 trying to 'understand the other.' Unfortunately, it was never a two-way street (and we suffered plenty of terror attacks during that period) and it ended in a full-blown intifadeh that left hundreds of Israelis dead, wounded, widowed and orphaned.
The 'conflict' is insoluble because only one side is interested in a solution. Most Israelis now have had enough pain inflicted on them that they get that. I hope the rest of world Jewry comes around without suffering all the pain that we suffered.
Labels: American Jews, anti-Israel Jews, Judaism, liberalism, Palestinian terrorism, Yasser Arafat
Wednesday the Rabbi threw in the towel - visit to Arafat's tomb is off the itinerary
Greetings from Boston.
Earlier today, the following email from
Rabbi Blumofe in Austin, Texas (the subject of yesterday's post) was forwarded to me:
> Dear Friends,
>
> Thank you for being in touch with me personally regarding the
unfortunate insinuation, opprobrium and personal defamation that has
surfaced based on the inaccurate and reckless premeditated judgments
from a member in our community about the draft of an itinerary
to Israel in June, 2017. The refusal to have communicated directly
with me has added hate and peril into this world.
>
> I very much appreciate your requests to help.
>
> Here's where things stand -- if you can communicate this
information to expanding circles and to folks who have reached out to
you, or whom you know would be interested to have a fuller/current
briefing, this would help to bring accuracy to a volatile and
distressing situation.
>
> 1. The draft of the itinerary that has gone public is no longer accurate. That itinerary was cancelled.
>
> 2. There will be a trip to Israel in June, 2017 that will be
planned with a different itinerary in the coming weeks, with the input
of the leadership of Agudas Achim. I believe that the goals of
exploring Israel as it wrestles with its status as a democracy
and Jewish state can be achieved in alternative, affirming ways -- and
rest assured, the new itinerary will not stop at the grave of Arafat.
>
> Please do not hesitate to be in touch as we continue to strive to
build engagement, literacy, and positive excitement for Israel within
our community -- and as we look to keep each other safe and well.
>
> Am Yisrael Chai.
>
> Neil Blumofe
> Rabbi.
> ___________________
> Neil F. Blumofe, Rabbi
>
> Congregation Agudas Achim
> P.O. Box 28400
> Austin, Texas USA 78755-8400
The emphasis added was mine - not in the original.
Can't wait to see the new itinerary.
Labels: American Jews, anti-Israel Jews, Judaism, liberalism, Palestinian terrorism, Yasser Arafat
Monday, the rabbi worshipped at Arafat's tomb
Raleigh, North Carolina is not the only place where a rabbi thinks that Judaism requires him to go
worship at the tomb of the father of terrorism. I'd like to introduce you to Rabbi Neil Blumofe of Congregation Agudas Achim (it's Conservative - contrary to what some of my Orthodox friends might conclude from the name) in Austin, Texas.
Below is a letter written by Richard Brook, a congregant of Rabbi Blumofe, who vehemently objects to Blumofe's idol worship.
And in case you're wondering what these tours do, here's an itinerary:
Yes, the visit to Arafat's tomb is on Day 11. But it's only the start of the problems with this tour. This is how people are being educated to Judaism?
As it happens, I was in Austin two years ago on business, as some of you might recall. Congregation Agudas Achim is located in a huge gated complex that was donated by Michael Dell, the chairman of Dell Computers, who donated $1.8 million to
American Friends of the IDF in 2014. The complex includes a day school, a community center, and Orthodox, Conservative and Reform synagogues (although when I was there in November 2014, the Orthodox synagogue was meeting in a classroom in the school). One has to wonder whether Mr. Dell is aware of what is going on at his campus, and whether visiting Yasser Arafat's tomb violates the terms of the land grant to Congregation Agudas Achim (I have no way of getting a copy of that grant - just raising the issue).
For the record, Mr. Brook has been in touch with me directly, and gave me permission to publish his letter (Hat Tips:
Richard Allen and Sloan Rachmuth).
More to follow as this story progresses.
Labels: American Jews, anti-Israel Jews, Judaism, liberalism, Palestinian terrorism, Yasser Arafat
Monday, the Rabbi demonized Israel
A devastating letter written to the board of directors of a Raleigh, North Carolina conservative synagogue was shared with me yesterday by
Richard A.
Devastating Letter sent to Synagogue board. This Rabbi
partners with terror organizations and BDS organizations to indoctrinate
Jews against Israel.
Esteemed Board of Beth Meyer,
Good
morning. We are a young Jewish family
here in the Triangle and recently learned of Rabbi Solomon's Behind the
Scenes Tour of Israel. The rabbi says his goal with the trip is to
raise the awareness American Jews to the realities on the ground in
Israel so they can form their “own positions that
are based on fuller, more complex information.” However, according to
the online trip guide, most of the sources of information during Rabbi
Solomon’s trip, will come from the most radical proponents of
BDS, and even pro-Islamic terror sources.
I
hope that Rabbi Solomon is
being honest about his intentions with this tour and it’s objectives.
As you will see below, it will appear to most that the Rabbi intends to
stir hatred for Israeli Jews and fro the IDF, who is sole guarantor of
the Jewish State.
To begin, the most troubling
aspect of MEDJI Tours is that they partner with the Holy Land Fund, a designated terror group who
has provided funding and support to Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood according
to the U.S. Justice Department. That a Rabbi from Raleigh is partnering with a Hamas terror
financier is alarming and it must be investigated by the community and others.
The other partners and teachers of this trip include
a sundry list of the most vile haters of the Israeli Jewish people and avid promoters of BDS.
Examples:
- All that’s Left - They
report to be a collective unequivocally opposed to the occupation and committed to building the diaspora angle of resistance. taking to the streets with visual and educational strategies to reshape how visitors
think about Israel, which includes total, one-sided demonization of the IDF. http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.528285
- Mahmoud Darwish Museum
- who partners with BDS group IACHD to sponsor anti-Israel propaganda tours to gin up hatred of Israeli Jews. http://www.summerinpalestine.org/2015/blog.html In
fact, Mahmoud Darwish was a poet who not only called for all living
Jews to leave "Palestine" , but to take with them also their dead
ones!!!
- Yassar Arafat's Tomb - the father of modern
terrorism deserves respect with a visit to his gravesite? Arafat
is directly responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocent Israeli
citizens,
the deaths of untold numbers of Arabs and the killing of more than 100
U.S. citizens and the Rabbi pays his respects thereby validating his
muderous acts??
- Combatants for Peace – partner of pro-BDS movement, anti-IDF
activists who
utilizes highly demonizing language, accusing Israel of “ethnic
cleansing,” “genocide,” “collective punishment,”
and “apartheid”; promotes BDS campaigns against Israel; and explicitly
advocates for the end of the state of Israel as the nation state of the
Jewish people.
- Even the Bait al Karama Culinary School and the Birzeit
Brewery company travelers will visit for pleasure are known anti-Israel BDS activists whose companies were created for this purpose
- Rabbi Solomon’s ittenerary also includes a stop where travelers will “Learn the story of Open
House Ramle where the non-fiction story Lemon Tree took place.” According to Stand With us, “Lemmon Tree” is pure fiction and it’s a propaganda piece that presents
the extremist Palestinian case against Israel and says we should be
“deeply concerned” that some secondary schools are using the book. https://www.standwithus.com/news/article.asp?id=256
These
are but a sampling of the details of this trip, which promotes hatred
towards Israeli Jews from beginning to
end. This tour should be led by either the Palestinian Authority,
Hamas, or the Muslim Brotherhood; not by the Rabbi of a Conservative
synagogue in Raleigh, North Carolina.
I am
asking today that you look into this trip further and to ensure that
all consumers understand clearly the pro-BDS
and anti-IDF education this trip will offer. And above all, consumers
should be well informed of the Islamic terror-supporting partners of
this trip. Many
are now researching whether it's legal to financially partner with
foreign terror sponsors and with companies who organizes boycotts
against Israeli Jewish citizens.
Thank you for your consideration in this troubling matter.
J. Sloan Rachmuth
Writer's contact information was redacted.
Labels: BDS, Islamic terrorism, Jewish anti-Semitism, Palestinian terrorism, Yasser Arafat
French prosecutor dismisses Arafat poisoning case
A French prosecutor has dismissed a case accusing Israel of
poisoning Yasser Arafat.
The prosecutor in Nanterre announced the decision on Tuesday, three
months after three French judges recommended the case be dropped, the Times of Israel reported.
Lawyers for Arafat’s widow, Suha, who filed the case in France in
2012 alleging he had been murdered, said the judges closed the
investigation too quickly.
...
Suha Arafat based her lawsuit on a 108-page report released to her by
the University Centre of Legal Medicine in Lausanne, Switzerland, which
said the theory that Arafat was poisoned is most consistent with its
results. Russian experts have maintained that Arafat was not poisoned.
The French experts “maintain that the polonium 210 and lead 210 found
in Arafat’s grave and in the samples are of an environmental nature,”
Nanterre prosecutor Catherine Denis said last month.
Many Palestinians continue to believe that Arafat was poisoned by
Israel because he was an obstacle to peace. Israel has denied any
involvement.
Millions of Euros wasted on this nonsense. Maybe this will be the end of it.
Labels: France, Palestinian lies, Suha Arafat, Yasser Arafat
'Palestinians' to file charges with ICC charging Israel with murdering Arafat
Someone please tell me that the International Criminal Court won't be stupid enough to hear this one:
I would bet that the kangaroo court will take those charges very seriously. If you're not aware of the real cause of Arafat's death, go
here.
Earlier on Sunday, the 'Palestinians' offered to drop at least one of their ICC petitions if Israel stops building '
settlements.' And they also threatened to drop 'security cooperation' unless Israel frees up tax money for them.
The official told The Times of Israel that
land seizures in occupied territory constituted a clear violation of
international law. Still, he noted that the appeal to the ICC would be
withdrawn if Israel were to freeze settlement construction, and added
that the Palestinian Authority had conveyed to Israel an official
message to that effect, through Jordan and Egypt.
The official, a confidant of PA President
Mahmoud Abbas, also threatened that security coordination with Israel
would be curtailed if Jerusalem failed to transfer Palestinian tax money
it has been withholding as a punitive measure over the PA’s ICC bid.
“In the first stage [the cessation of security coordination] will entail
a stop to arrests made by us,” he said. “We will only arrest those we
decide to arrest.”
Under current security arrangements,
Palestinian security forces also arrests terror suspects based on
intelligence received from Israel.
The official revealed that the PA had
established a special judicial committee to examine the issue of turning
to The Hague ahead of the date when Palestine will formally join the
institution – April 1, 2015.
The 'Palestinians' are willing to do anything to ensure that there will be no consequences for their refusal to make any progress on 'peace.' They are playing a waiting game in the hope that one day they will be stronger than Israel. What could go wrong?
Labels: International Criminal Court, Palestinian Authority, Palestinian tax transfers, settlement freeze, Yasser Arafat
Bill Clinton bashes Netanyahu on camera, says he has to be forced to make peace
Good morning from Boston.
Something tells me that Bill Clinton isn't too crazy about the idea of his wife Hillary becoming President. On Sunday, he based Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on camera, straying from his wife's false pro-Israel line.
It came at the end of a three-hour fifteen-minute C-Span coverage of Clinton's attendance at Sunday's Iowa steak fry with Senator Tom Harkin (D).
If we don’t force him to have peace, we won’t have peace … Netanyahu is not the guy,” a pro-'Palestinian' activist told the ex-president. I agree with that,” Clinton clearly replied, apparently unaware his remarks were being recorded. Then he bragged about getting Ehud Barak to give Arafat everything he wanted, including Jerusalem.
Let's go to the videotape (Hat Tip:
Jack W).
Much more from Yid with Lid (including a transcript if you, like me could not get the sound to work)
here.
I have reported in the past that
Hillary Clinton is an anti-Semite. I guess she has now won Bill over.
Labels: Bill Clinton, Ehud Barak, Hillary Clinton, US presidential campaign 2016, Yasser Arafat
Long overdue
Over the last 48 hours, the IDF has done what it should have done a long time ago: It has
arrested most of the Hamas leadership in Judea and Samaria. Now, we should start executing them.
Hamas' parliamentary speaker in the West Bank Abdel Aziz Dweck was
among 50 people arrested by security forces Sunday night and Monday
morning. Hamas leaders Bassem al-Za'arir, Azzam Salhab, Samir al-Qadi
and Maher al-Kharraz were also among those taken into custody.
The arrests come on the heels of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's announcement
that Hamas was responsible for the kidnapping of three Israeli
teenagers, Eyal Yifrach, Gil-Ad Shaer, and Naftali Fraenkel, on
Thursday.
There are also reports that some of the Hamas terrorists will be deported. That would be a mistake. First, no one will take them. Second, no one will keep them in line if they do take them. And third, they should be executed. Slowly and painfully.
In the meantime, Shimon Peres' creation, in which Hamas is now a full partner, has
condemned the arrests.
Palestinian government spokesman Ehab Bessaiso told reporters in
Ramallah that the latest escalation in security measures was in the
context of Israel’s “collective punishment” against the Palestinians.
He
called on the international community to intervene and demand that
Israel halt its latest measures, including the siege on Hebron and its
refusal to allow families of prisoners held in Israel to visit their
sons.
The PLO leadership condemned Israel for holding the PA
responsible for the safety of the three Israeli youths who were
kidnapped in the West Bank.
“The Israeli government can’t hold the
Palestinians responsible for security in occupied territories,” the
spokesman said, referring to Area C of the West Bank, where the three
boys were kidnapped from, and which is under Israeli security control.
A
statement published by the PLO Executive Committee, following a meeting
in Ramallah chaired by PA President Mahmoud Abbas, accused Prime
Minister Binyamin Netanyahu of waging a “racist campaign” against the
Palestinians.
The statement said that Netanyahu’s “false
allegations” were intended to cover up for Israel’s failure to prevent
the kidnapping, and condemned it for imposing “collective punishment” on
the Palestinians, especially in the Hebron area, as part of efforts to
locate the kidnapped youths.
The response to that ought to be to do to Abu Bluff the
same thing that was done in 2002 to his beloved mentor, Yasser Arafat.
Labels: Abu Mazen, Hamas, Mukhata, Palestinian terrorism, Yasser Arafat
Yadlin: Rabin would have lost the '96 elections
I will never forget the morning after the 1996 elections. The Leftists - which was most of my government office at the time - were walking around crying because Binyamin Netanyahu had beaten Shimon Peres in an election six months after Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin was assassinated. I and the two other rightists in the office kept to ourselves to avoid being ostracized.
Now former military intelligence chief Amos Yadlin says that had he not been assassinated,
Rabin would have lost that election anyway.
Today's edition of Yediot Ahronot features a "what if" article asking
various Israelis to speculate how things would be different today if various
events had not taken place.
Question: What would have happened if Rabin hadn't been murdered?
Yadlin: He would have lost the elections in any event to Binyamin Netanyahu
in '96. The public atmosphere in the country was that the Oslo process
failed, the terror attacks of Jihad and Hamas were unacceptable and Rabin
himself would have reconsidered Oslo. I have no doubt that he lost his
trust, if he even had it, in Yasser Arafat.
Question: And the claims that we would be after Oslo today, with two states
for two peoples?
Yadlin: That has no basis in reality.
But don't expect the Left to acknowledge this or to retry Yigal Amir - who was
convicted by a
lynch mob mentality of the assassination.
Labels: Binyamin Netanyahu, Middle East peace process, Oslo accords, Shimon Peres, Yasser Arafat, Yigal Amir, Yitzchak Rabin
The next time someone tells you that the Arabs of Palestine had nothing to do with the Holocaust...
... show them
this picture of Yasser Arafat's uncle.
Labels: Holocaust, Mufti Haj Amin al-Husseini, Nazis, Palestinians, Yasser Arafat
For the next week, at least, 'everyone knows' that it's Abu Mazen who doesn't want peace
Israel's Channel 10 reports that two hours before the announcement of the Hamas-Fatah unity pact, Prime Minister
Netanyahu had agreed to hold 'talks' on borders and a 'settlement freeze.'
Aides to the prime minister are denying the Channel 10 report.
According to Channel 10, while Netanyahu refused Palestinian demands to explicitly present his position on borders,
he did give consent to his government's chief representatives in the
negotiations - Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and attorney Yitzhak Molcho -
to present maps on which both sides would then proceed to sketch the
contours of the political boundary that would separate Israel and a
yet-to-be-created Palestine.
The prime minister also agreed to a
freeze of all new construction in the Jewish settlements of Judea and
Samaria, though he insisted that Israel would complete all construction
that has already been initiated, according to Channel 10.
The
Palestinians, for their part, responded that on the ground the public
would not be able to differentiate between a freeze of new construction
and the continuation of old project, rendering the offer moot. Aides to
Netanyahu denied that the premier agreed to any freeze, according to
Channel 10.
...
Just two hours after Israel suspended diplomatic talks with the
Palestinians over Wednesday's Hamas-Fatah reconciliation pact, Netanyahu
said he will "be there in the future if we have a partner that is
committed to peace."
Netanyahu's comment came in an interview with
MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell, after the seven-member security cabinet
decided unanimously Thursday afternoon following a six hour meeting in
Tel Aviv to suspend current talks with the Palestinians.
World Jewish Congress President Ronald Lauder says that the American government now 'gets it':
Abu Mazen doesn't want peace.
“This is one of the times when people realize what’s really
happening and there is no question about it,” Lauder said. “How can
Israel negotiate with an organization that wants its destruction?”
Lauder, who is well connected with many world leaders, said the
overwhelming sentiment among his contacts was support for Israel.
“Last
night I was calling around from country to country, group to group,
also within the US, to see what’s happening. There was no one I came
across that said, ‘You know, it’s a good thing.’ Even the most left[-
wing] groups.”
...
Everybody, he asserted, “believes that the Israeli people want peace
and that the Palestinian people want peace, and more and more they
realize what the real problem is. I don’t think President Abbas could
have made a stronger signal that he didn’t want peace.”
...
Israel’s reaction should be firm, but the Netanyahu administration
should also handle the issue of the end of the current round of
negotiations “delicately,” Lauder added.
“It is also important how
Israel handles it,” he said. Israel should “reiterate what Hamas
stands for and then say something to the effect that Israel is very
disappointed.”
“It shows very much, I think to everybody, that at
the end of the day the Palestinians really didn’t want peace, and what
they really want is the UN to give it to them. They don’t want to
negotiate, and I think the key thing is the politicians get it.”
They supposedly 'got it' in 2000-01 too when Bill Clinton told Arafat that he had made Clinton's peace efforts a 'failure.' That 'getting it' lasted about a week. Don't expect this one to last longer.
Labels: Abu Mazen, Bill Clinton, Binyamin Netanyahu, Hamas-Fatah reconciliation, Israel wants peace, Middle East peace process, Yasser Arafat
'Palestinians' name forest after dead terrorist
The 'Palestinians' have named a forest after Khalil al-Wazir, better known as Abu Jihad,
Yasser Arafat's right-hand man.
The March 30 event at Martyr Khalil Al-Wazir
Forest was attended by dozens of officials, including Minister of
Agriculture Walid Assaf, District Governor of Hebron Kamel Hamid and
representatives of the PA Security Forces, as well as several mayors
from the Hebron district and relatives of Abu Jihad, Palestinian Media
Watch said in a bulletin Sunday.
Abu Jihad, also known as Khalid al-Wazir, was a
founding member of Fatah and a deputy to Yasser Arafat. He led the
PLO’s military wing, and was responsible for numerous terror attacks
that according to PA daily Al-Ayyam killed at least 125 Israelis. His
facilitation of the 1978 Coastal Road massacre — the hijacking of a bus
that resulted in 37 Israeli deaths, including 12 children — made him one
of the most wanted Palestinian terrorists in the world.
Abu Jihad’s son, Jihad Al-Wazir, told the
crowd, “All of you are martyr Abu Jihad’s children, and he is freedom in
the memories and hearts of every one of you.”
According to Palestinian Media Watch, PA
President Mahmoud Abbas also recently decorated Abu Jihad postumously
with “the highest order of the Star of Honor.”
Abu Jihad was allegedly assassinated by Israeli agents who included former Defense Minister Ehud Barak,
dressed in drag.
When they got ashore, Mossad cars waited for them. Evidently the Mossad had had agents planted in Lebanon for some time before.
They
got in the cars and received a report that three Lebanese policemen
were unexpectedly patrolling the area in front of the apartments that
they were supposed to attack. Ehud Barak made a quick decision to
continue with the operation despite the obstacle. A call to headquarters
could have easily led to the cancellation of the whole operation.
When
they approached their target they got out of the cars and began walking
like lovers, as they had planned. No one suspected them for anything
else. As they passed the policemen, the policemen didn't even react to
them. They got to the apartments and didn't see any guards there. Muki
Betser's group went in, climbing the stairs at a half-run. They got to
the door of one of the PLO men and set the explosive fuses. They waited
for a signal from outside that the other two units had also set their
explosives and were ready to act. They got the go-ahead. They lit the
fuses and waited. When they would explode Ehud Barak would "report back
to the mother ship that the operation began, setting in motion the rest
of the IDF forces in Beirut that night."
Just before the fuse
went off shooting broke out in the street below. The three units about
ready to enter the rooms had no time to deal with that.
Muki
Betser describes his part in the raid: "Finally, the explosion blew open
the door in a blast of smoke. I burst in with Tzvika, instinctively
taking the left-hand turn into the main corridor of the apartment,
running down the hall I knew so well from my drills.
Four strides
and I reached my target's office. Half a dozen empty chairs faced the
desk. Behind it, filing cabinets reminded me that military intelligence
wanted any piece of paper we found. To my right, said the architectural
plans I memorized, was the master bedroom door. I swung in that
direction, just as the door flew open.
The face I knew from three
weeks of carrying his picture in my shirt pocket looked at me as I
raised my gun. He slammed the door. Bursts from my Uzi and Tzvika's
stitched the bedroom door. I rushed forward and kicked through the
remains of the door." The PLO man, who was responsible for the Munich
massacre of the Israeli athletes, was no more.
They ran quickly
down the stairs to deal with the shooting they had heard just before
they entered the rooms. The shooting outside was still going on.
The noise grew louder as they leaped, landing to landing, towards the bottom of the stairs and outside the building.
Muki
Betser recalls: "Out the front door, I ducked into the shadow of a
tree, scanning the intersection just as a burning Lebanese police Land
Rover rolled through the intersection. Straight ahead, Amiram Levine in a
blonde wig looked like a crazed dancer in the middle of the
intersection, his tiny powerful body swinging his Uzi back and forth
from target to target.
To my right, Ehud (Barak) stood in the
middle of the intersection, doing the same. I added my own fire at the
Land Rover, giving Amiram cover for him to run toward me. The Land Rover
crashed to a halt against a building. But a second vehicle, a jeep full
of reinforcements came screeching into the box of fire we created at
the intersection." They took out this jeep as well.
They could
hear explosions in the distance. It was, they assumed, Amnon Shahak's
paratrooper unit at George Habash's headquarters.
The Mossad cars
came screeching to a halt outside of the buildings and the fiery
intersection they were waiting at. The Sayeret Matkal units, missions
completed, jumped into the cars. Only two minutes had passed since they
hit their targets in the buildings. Ehud Barak checked with the other
Sayeret Matkal units. No one had been killed, but one commando had been
wounded. No news as of then was known of the paratroopers who had
attacked George Habash's six-storey building.
"Ehud cut off radio
contact and we rushed in a crazy race down the hills of Beirut. The
Mossad drivers knew the city and they knew the big American cars well
enough to make them slip and slide around the corners as we raced
through the city. No whooping and shouting broke out inside the getaway
car. Each man sat alone with his thoughts, alert for enemy forces taking
chase."
Outside of the neighborhood they had just wreaked havoc
in they slowed down. Soon, before they were to turn off the road leading
down to the beach, they saw a Lebanese Army troop carrier, scanning the
shore. The Sayeret Matkal commandos inside of the Mossad-rented cars
were tense as they waited for it to pass. The Lebanese didn't bother
with them.
The commandos jumped out of the cars when they got to
the beach. The operation had taken a little longer than expected - a
half-hour instead of the anticipated 20 minutes.
As they motored
out to sea, they found out what had happened. Three of the top PLO
leaders they had intended to assassinate were dead. And George Habash's
six-storey building was in rubble and ruins. In that raid, which Amnon
Shahak had led, two IDF soldiers were killed . Shahak won a medal of
valor as he saved the lives of wounded comrades under his command.
They didn't get Arafat, although they thought they might have gotten him there. But they had done what they set out to do.
Operation Spring of Youth is still known as one of the IDF's elite units' finest moments.
According to the contemporary newspaper headline, pictured above, the operation was over in five minutes.
Labels: Abu Jihad, Ehud Barak, Yasser Arafat
Arafat's bodyguard: He lied when he condemned terror attacks
Yasser Arafat's bodyguard (you want to take a shower just saying those words), Muhammad Al-Daya, told the BBC Arabic service on April 3 that Yasser Arafat lied when he condemned terror attacks against Israel.
Let's go to the videotape.
I'm shocked. Just shocked.... Not.
Labels: lies, Palestinian lies, Yasser Arafat
Harvard students told Arafat's grave to be moved to Jerusalem
In an earlier post, I reported on a pilgrimage by Harvard University students to Yasser Arafat's grave, which was financed by the Boston Combined Jewish Philanthropies. A couple of the students have posted blogs about the trip, which make clear some of the things the students 'learned' in Ramallah. Here's the
first one (both blogs came from
Truth Revolt).
The Israel-Palestine conflict is urgent for my green-sweatered friend in
Ramallah whose house had been destroyed twice. Ambassador Dore Gold and
Col. (res) Dr. Eran Lerman spoke to us about security at the Jerusalem
Center for Public Affairs. One map after another filled the screen in
front of us as our speakers turned geographic boundaries into calculated
threats, like the range of rockets, or the time needed to mobilize
troops from A to B. For them, Israel’s fight is urgent. The man who
spoke to us at Yasser Arafat’s grave emphasized the grave’s temporary
location, to be moved to Jerusalem when (not if) Palestine
reclaims the city. The conflict, for him, is urgent.
Here's the
second blog.
The amazing organizers of this trek are all Israelis. Five of them are
Jewish and one of the is Arab Israeli. Was it easy for them to see the
grave of Arafat, who is responsible of the death of so many Israeli
civilians, their beloved ones specifically? But does that dispute the
fact that the same person is also the founder of the PLO, hero of so
many Palestinians symbolizing their fight for independence?
It is not at all easy to understand the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
That is exactly why we listened to speeches at Harvard by Ari Shavit,
the author of the book ‘The Triumph and Tragedy of My Promised Land’ and
Ami Ayalon, the former head of the Shin Bet, Israeli National Security
Agency, who was appointed to the position right after the assassination
of the Prime Minister Ytzhak Rabin. Then, during our tour in Israel, we
were lucky enough to hear from Jodi Rudoren, the editor in chief of New
York Times Jerusalem, Danny Siedemann, an attorney very much involved
with the negotiations process, Dore Gold, foreign policy advisor to the
Prime Minister Netanyahu, Nadav Tamir, senior policy advisor to the
President of Israel Simon Peres, Eran Lerman, Deputy National Security
Advisor for Foreign Policy and International Affairs, Dr. Rachel
Korazim, a Holocaust educator, a Rabbi from Jewish settlements in West
Bank and an Israel Defense Force officer along with those two
Palestinian leaders.
Actually, out of the named speakers, there are a lot more people of the Left than of the Right. I've added some links that explain why.
Was there an agenda here? Did the pilgrimage to Arafat's mausoleum fit in with that agenda? I leave that to the reader to decide.
Labels: Ami Ayalon, Ari Shavit, Dore Gold, Harvard University, Jewish Federations of North America, Jewish philanthropy, Jodi Rudoren, liberal Jews, Nadav Tamir, Palestinian incitement, Palestinians, Yasser Arafat
