Columnist Ben Caspit writes on Facebook this morning regarding the report yesterday that President Rivlin never visited the family of Baby Adele Biton HY"D (May God Avenger her blood), who passed away a couple of months ago two years after being the victim of a terror attack.
מהבוקר אני רואה כאן ברשת ידיעה מפוברקת על הנשיא ריבלין, לפיה הוא לא ביקר את הוריה של אדל ביטון "כדי לא להרגיז את... http://t.co/cixAgWttCV
The full Facebook post is at that link and its quite short. Here's a much better translation than Facebook will give you.
Since this morning, I see a fabricated report on President Rivlin that claims that he did not visit the parents of Adele Biton "so as not to anger the Arabs." This is a cheap and transparent fabrication at an imaginary site from a reporter who does not exist, which does not stop many Right wing degenerates from spreading it and accusing Rivlin of treason. To permit [taking the life] of the country's President, the Right wing ideologue, the picture of beauty and morality.
It is apparent that the idiots never end, they just change identities. Rivlin visited the Biton family and said powerful emotional words in the family's home. But the lowlifes of limited intelligence do their own thing. We have learned nothing, and apparently we will not learn anything. This is how it is when there are no brains.
The story I saw - on Arutz Sheva's website - and on which I based my post, was based on an interview with Adele's mother, and said nothing about him 'deserving to die' (God Forbid) or anything similar.
If you read the Arutz Sheva story carefully, you will see that Mrs. Biton criticized the President for not visiting in the hospital. It is true that he paid a shiva (condolence) call when they were sitting shiva for Baby Adele five months ago.
What Caspit is actually referring to is this story - which describes threats that Rivlin has received since speaking out against the firebombing of the Arab home in Duma and the stabbing of a participant at the gay pride parade in Jerusalem - both on Thursday. The death threats are disgusting and deserve condemnation. But Adele Biton's mother is not their source, and the story only mentions Adele among several terror victims named by Rivlin. Adele's mother deserves to be left in peace at least as much as the President does. It's unfair of Caspit to blame her.
I've met President Rivlin and admire him greatly even if I don't always agree with him. Ironically, if you go to the last link, you will see Rivlin wearing a kaffiyeh with curses written in Hebrew in the top right corner of the picture. In the background are Jewish holy books.... When I met him, he was speaker of the Knesset, and I was taken to his office by a client to meet him. His Knesset office was also filled with Jewish holy books. The man deserves better.
'Palestinians' call for death penalty for broker of seven buildings sold to Jews in 'east' Jerusalem
One night in the summer of 1964, we came home and found a delegation of neighbors on the doorstep of our Natick, Massachusetts home. I was a little kid at the time, but I heard afterward what had happened. Our family was moving to Newton - another Boston suburb which is closer in - and my parents had sold our house to a black family. The neighbors were furious and wanted to buy the house to keep the neighborhood lily white. Yes, in Blue Massachusetts. My father z"l (of blessed memory) told them where to get off.
I think of that story every time I hear a story like this one.
Under police guard, Jewish families moved into seven buildings in the 'east' Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan - right outside the Old City - on Tuesday, as the former owners of the building and the broker who sold them fled, and a 'Palestinian Authority' official called for the death penalty for the broker.
In the latest case, all of the homes were purchased legally by Elad via
intermediaries, usually Palestinian brokers who buy the properties from
local families at inflated prices.
At one house, Khaled Karaeen,
62 and a father of six, sat with his head in his hands in the courtyard
of his home, edgily flicking worry beads, unable to believe what had
happened.
Relatives said one of Karaeen's sons had sold a
dwelling inside the grounds of the family home to a Palestinian broker
about a year ago for 1.2 million shekels ($300,000), around twice as
much as the property was probably worth.
Karaeen refused to
speak to visitors on Tuesday, with family members saying he was too
ashamed by what his son had done. Karaeen's brother said he had spoken
by phone to the son, who had fled to the north of Israel.
In the past, Palestinians found to have sold their homes to settler organizations have been killed.
The
broker had then sold the apartment to Elad, which then rented it out to
the Jewish residents, who moved in during the early hours of Tuesday
morning with the help of Israeli police.
The Jewish family, which
declined to be interviewed, had barricaded themselves inside, blocking a
yellow door that opens onto Karaeen's courtyard. Karaeen sat three
meters (10 feet) away.
I was going to make a sarcastic remark about how giving the 'Palestinians' a 'state' would make them more willing to live among Jews. Alas, even that remark is out of place.
"They want to make a joke of us," said Fadi Maragha, a local
representative of the Palestinian political party Fatah, who said he had
come to offer support to the family.
"They think they can drive
us out. But we are the landowners. We were here and we will be here
until we have all of Palestine without any Jewish people in it," he
said.
Asked what would happen to the son and the broker to whom
he had sold the property, Maragha said he felt they should die, but he
did not expect that to happen.
"We know who the broker is. He's
living in a town south of Jerusalem," he said. "But he's rich and he's
protected, including by the Israelis."
Funny. I once owned a home in New Jersey and I sold it 23 years ago. Does that mean I'm not the landowner there anymore? Or would the 'Palestinians' still consider me the landowner? Hmmm.
By the way, the story is not just a cartoon. There were protests in Iran last Monday (the anniversary of the US embassy hostage crisis) in which thousands shouted 'death to America' and those protests are unlikely to stop anytime soon.
The issue of Iran-American rapprochement, and the possible diplomatic
thaw between Tehran and Washington becomes controversial when we look
into the domestic politics Iran.
Recently, one of the most
powerful military and ideologically hardline institutions in Iran, the
Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) stated
(http://news.yahoo.com/iran-guards-want-keep-death-america-chant-164840915.html)
on the Persian Sepah News website (http://www.sepahnews.com/), that the
slogan “Death to America” was a sign and manifestation of the Iranian
people’s will, determination, and robust resistance against “the
dominance of oppressive and untrustworthy America.” Hardliners also
created several new anti-U.S. Islamic songs a few days before the
protests, to be played next to the American embassy.
In addition,
hardliners have strongly repelled any call to remove the “Death to
America” or “Death to Israel” chants. They have verbally attacked
figures such as former presidents Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Mohammad
Khatami, and some supporters of Mousavi and Rowhani who called to
possibly remove these slogans in order to rebuild the economy, remove
economic sanctions that have endangered the hold on power of Iranian
leaders, clerics, and Ayatollahs across Iran’s political spectrum. On
the opening session of Iran’s parliament (or Majlis), all members of the
Majlis joined the hardliners call, stating that they will proudly carry
the slogan “Death to America.”
...
The antagonism towards the United States and Israel, as well as the
Iranian leaders’ and their supporters’ rivalry against Washington and
Tel Aviv, are deeply embedded in the power dynamic and in the domestic
politics of Iran.
First of all, the main political institutions
in Iran, such as the IRGC, the paramilitary Basij militia, the Ministry
of Intelligence and Security, the Mostazafan Foundation of Islamic
Revolution (which owns and manages approximately 350 subsidiary and
affiliate companies in fields including industry, transportation,
commerce, agriculture, and tourism), the Supreme National Security
Council, the army, and the Expediency Council, gain the major part of
their legitimacy from considering United States and Israel as the “Great
Satan.”
The antagonism towards America and Israel is a powerful
political tool used to rule. For example, any domestic political or
economic shortcomings are usually presented as the fault of the
Americans and Israelis. Every day, Iran’s media blames the United States
and Tel Aviv for most domestic and regional problems. Major forces of
opposition to the government are suppressed, accused of being American
or Israeli-linked conspirators. The major political institutions in Iran
were founded through gaining legitimacy, and being capable of exerting
their power, by using a scapegoat enemy— the “Great Satan.”
Finally,
this unprecedented level of protest was a formidable sign from the
powerful political institutions in Iran to those seeking mend
relationships with the United States. Any fundamental change and
rapprochement between the United States and Iran would strip away all
the political leverage that major Iranian political and military
institutions have. For hardliners, U.S.-Iran rapprochement will
undermine their own domestic power, endangering their legitimacy, their
rule, and suppression of the opposition.
Give Honda a lot of credit for this ad... or maybe not
Here's a new advertisement for Honda's hybrid cars. I'm not sure where it's been aired, but this would get me to go out and buy a Honda... and even a hybrid... if only Israel didn't tax new cars so heavily....
Let's go to the videotape.
Oy. Someone with whom I shared this claims it's a hoax.....
Pro-Palestinian activist Harry Fear, from Watlington in Oxfordshire, sent Howell an email on March 10 asking what he was doing “to see that Israel halts the military actions that are taking place in defiance of international law and basic human decency.”
A photograph of a building exploding accompanied the email with a caption stating: “Only a few hours ago, Israel felt it necessary to inflict this destruction and death on the [Gaza] Strip.”
Responding to the email, Howell said: “And what is your position, Harry, on the 100 rockets which have landed in Israel over the weekend?” Fear posted the question, together with the MP’s reply, on his blog and Facebook page. He included the MP’s contact details and instructed people write to Howell “civilly, expressing discontent with his conduct.”
The Conservative MP said he received around 30 emails; some were “worrying.”
“There are a huge number of emails from pro-Palestinian and Arab fanatics, some from the UK and some clearly not, some equally threatening,” Howell said.
One email said: “You will suffer the consequences of this corruption and callousness.”
There was also a series of emails from some calling himself “Jihad Alshamie,” who told him: “It is people like you who deserve to die.”
“The last thing I want to appear as is a drama queen, but you have to take seriously a threat when it says, ‘I would like to see you dead,’” Howell said.
That's what we keep saying about Iran. I wonder why Conservative party leader and Prime Minister John Cameron isn't listening.
Hezbullah believed to be targeting Israelis in Europe
Israel's Ministry of Tourism has asked Bulgarian and other European authorities to increase security around tourist destinations frequented by Israelis due to a threat of terror attacks from Hezbullah and Iran.
Security sources said that while there was no specific threat, there was intelligence suggesting that Israelis traveling in Europe would be targeted by terror groups.
According to the report, the defense establishment is concerned by Iranian threats to retaliate over what it calls "the systematic elimination" if its nuclear scientists.
Concerns over a possible attack in Bulgaria are compounded by defense establishment intelligence – backed by Western intelligence sources – suggesting Hezbollah is planning a terror attack on "an Israeli destination in Europe," possibly around the coming anniversary of the assassination of arch-terrorist Imad Mugniyah.
Israel has increased its own security measures around Israeli sites across Europe as well, and according to security sources, previous attempted by Hezbollah to mount such attacks have been foiled.
Nevertheless, the Counter-Terrorism Bureau criticized the Transportation Ministry's move, saying it was the first time the ministry had issued this kind of travel advisory and adding that it did so independently.
The Counter-Terrorism Bureau is the only official government body authorized to issue security-based travel advisories.
CTB sources said that Shenar had briefed them on the information he had, but sans a credible threat or intelligence suggesting an imminent one, the CTB saw no need to issue a travel advisory. "The hysterical atmosphere in unnecessary," a CTB source said.
The Foreign Ministry also downplayed the Tourism Ministry's concerns: The latter's travel advisory has not been posted on the Foreign Ministry's website, unlike other Counter-Terrorism Bureau advisories.
Unfortunately, we have way too much experience with this sort of thing. In most European countries today, synagogues are set up so that cars cannot approach them, and armed guards stand outside. Often, there is a community center building which includes the synagogue and a Kosher restaurant and some of the tightest security I have ever seen (usually done by Israelis) on a non-Israeli site. I'm glad I don't live there.
Israel's attorney general has decided that it's okay to threaten to murder 'settlers.'
Makor Rishon correspondent Uri Yisrael Paz reports in the 24 January edition that Adv. Dan Eldad of the Office of the Attorney-General has decided not to investigate the remarks of Gideon Spiro, in his 4 September 2010 “Red Rag column” regarding settlers that “Nearly every male settler carries a gun, sometimes he is in uniform and sometimes he is not, and so attacking them is not the same as attacking a non-combatant civilian population….Armed struggle against occupation is internationally recognized as legitimate. … when it comes to the struggle against the Occupation, Hamas does not diverge from what is known and accepted throughout human history…As a member of the occupying people, it would be arrogant of me to presume to dictate to the Palestinians how they should conduct their struggle….” http://www.kibush.co.il/show_file.asp?num=42202
Eldad explained that there is nothing in Spiro’s remarks that has a “real possibility that its publication will lead to acts of violence or terror,” and that therefore “there is no place for criminal treatment of the matter and the holding of a court hearing.”
I wonder if Eldad would find it appropriate to prosecute someone who - God forbid - murdered a 'settler,' or whether he would say it's not up to us to tell the 'Palestinians' how to conduct their struggle.
By the way, this is not an idle question. This was a legal demonstration in the Jaffa area of southern Tel Aviv. Let's go to the videotape (Hat Tip: IMRA). At about 3:08, the Arab says in Hebrew, "next time this won't pass this way." And then it gets worse with cries of racism.
, Two weeks ago, the State's Attorney's office opened an investigation into a Facebook page that called for murdering Arabs. When a video was made calling for the murder of the attorney who was conducting the investigation, the video's maker was (rightfully) arrested. But people who threaten 'settlers' with death should also be arrested.
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
