Tag Archives: Israel

Amidst Calmer Voices, The Jordanian King Yells ‘Fire’

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September 20, 2022 started off much better than usual for the Middle East. A region, normally aflame with hatred seeking the end of the Jewish State, began with calmer voices.

The Palestinian Arabs published their quarterly poll of sentiment on the street. It showed a more moderate, albeit still troubling, tone regarding making peace with Israel.

Palestinian Arabs favored the political terrorist group Hamas over the more moderate Fatah in theoretical presidential elections, by 15 points, down from 22 points three months earlier. Support for a two-state solution rose to 37% from 28% in the prior quarter (60% still oppose a two-state solution). Currently, 48% support armed attacks against Israel, down from 55% in favor of returning to intifada-terrorism, just three months prior.

The pollsters believe that the rise in moderating positions stems from “greater appreciation of the [Israeli confidence building] measure in which a larger number of work permits are issued by Israel for laborers from the Gaza Strip.” It added that there was also “negative public assessment of the last armed confrontation between Islamic Jihad and Israel [in which most Arabs believe Palestinians lost and noted Hamas stayed out of the fight], the findings indicate a significant decline in support for armed attacks or a return to an armed intifada and a significant rise in support for Palestinian-Israeli negotiations.“

So far, so good.

At the United Nations in New York City, the General Assembly got underway in an annual ritual in which leaders of the world explain why their country was noble and everyone else was terrible.

Qatar, a state sponsor of the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, did not slam Israel, but only called for a two-state solution. Turkey, which also has supported Hamas, took a softer tone about Israel. It obnoxiously called for a two-state solution that only could have the contours of the 1967 “borders” (they were never borders) with eastern Jerusalem as its capital, but still, a far better statement than in years past.

Unfortunately, the positive direction fell apart with the address from the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. While his English was wonderful and his voice soothing, King Abdullah II disappoints every year.

Jordan’s King Abdullah II addresses the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022 at U.N. headquarters. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

As he’s done frequently, Abdullah incorrectly said several things such as UNRWA helping Palestinian “refugees” rather than compelling them to remain wards of the world. But the king went so much deeper than a bad opinion, as he waged an attack on the Jewish State regarding Jerusalem. At 9:09 of his speech, he ramped up the temperature:

“Today, the future of Jerusalem is of urgent concern. The city is holy to millions of Muslims, Christians and Jews around the world. Undermining Jerusalem’s legal and historical status quo triggers global tensions and deepens religious divides. The holy city must not be a place for hatred and division.

“As custodians of Jerusalem’s Muslim and Christian holy sites, we are committed to protecting the historical and legal status quo and to their safety and future. And as a Muslim leader, let me say clearly, that we are committed to defending the rights, the precious heritage, and the historic identity of the Christian people of our region. Nowhere is that more important than in Jerusalem.

“Today, Christianity in the holy city is under fire. The rights of churches in Jerusalem are threatened. This cannot continue. Christianity is vital to the past and present of our region and the holy land. It must remain an integral part of our future.”

This is outrageous and pathological.

At the most basic, churches in Jerusalem and all around Israel are not threatened. Israel actually helped build the Mormon church in Jerusalem. Christian pilgrims are found everywhere, as Christian tourists to Israel outnumber Jewish ones. There is not a single Muslim-majority country in the world where Christian tourists outnumber Muslim visitors.

Further, the Jordanian-Israeli Peace Treaty of 1994 specifically addressed Jerusalem in Article 9.2. It said:

“in accordance with the Washington Declaration, Israel respects the present special role of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in Muslim Holy shrines in Jerusalem. When negotiations on the permanent status will take place, Israel will give high priority to the Jordanian historic role in these shrines.“

Jordan has no “custodianship” and no role to “protect” any shrine, let alone non-Muslim sites which are never mentioned. To assert a special role as savior of Christians from fabricated non-existent threats is delusion of the highest order.

The king not only suffers from a messiah complex, he is abrogating the peace treaty signed with Israel. The following sentence, Article 9.3, clearly states that the countries will work together to promote religious cooexistence:

“The Parties will act together to promote interfaith relations among the three monotheistic religions, with the aim of working towards religious understanding, moral commitment, freedom of religious worship, and tolerance and peace.“

The Jordanian monarch is promoting the opposite, seeking a religious confrontation of Muslims and Christians against the Jews.

The Jordanian king is inciting a religious war against the Jewish state, seeking to alarm the Christian world that ‘Jerusalem is in danger’ the same way radical jihadists scream ‘al Aqsa is in danger’ to Muslims, in the hopes of killing Jews and the Jewish State. It is an alarming development and one which must be addressed swiftly, such as demanding a public recanting and apology from the king, or risk the 1994 peace treaty which he defecated upon.

Related articles:

Oh Abdullah, Jordan is Not So Special

The Jordanian King Abdullah’s Absurdities

Time for Jordan To Live Up To Its Peace Treaty With Israel And Support Jewish Prayer On The Temple Mount

Replacing the Jordanian Waqf on The Temple Mount

Jerusalem’s Old City Is a Religious War for Muslim Arabs

Israel And Jews Everywhere Must Be Protected As An Ethnic, Religious And Linguistic Minority

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On December 18, 1992, the United Nations adopted the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities. This year marks the 30th anniversary of that declaration which recalls that such minorities often “suffer disproportionately from the effects of conflicts resulting in the violation of their human rights and are particularly vulnerable to forced displacement through, interalia, population transfers, revocation of previously held identity documents, refugee flows and forced relocation.“

The history of Jews around the world is proof of this sentiment. They have been the most persecuted religious group in every country in which they’ve lived over many centuries.

The reestablishment of Jewish sovereignty in their homeland was supposed to put an end to such discrimination. Finally ruling over themselves, Jews were not going to be subject to the rash of anti-Semitic edicts passed by many countries such as banning kosher meat, banning circumcision, forcing Jews to give live in ghettoes, expulsions, forced conversions, limiting their fields of employment, etc.

Alas, people of ill-will have inverted the situation of the Jewish State in an accusatory fashion, claiming that Israel should be censured for supposedly discriminating against the one-quarter of its population that is non-Jewish. While roughly one-eighth of the vast Muslim world abuts Israel, anti-Zionists shout the slur of “apartheid” and “ethnic cleansing” at the Jewish State, even while it affords its non-Jewish citizens full rights far in excess of any of its neighboring countries, and where the Muslim population has soared – both in excess of the Jewish population and outpacing Muslims in adjacent countries.

Christianity2,380 million30.8%
Islam1,910 million24.8%
Hinduism1,160 million15.0%
Buddhism570 million7.4%
Folk Religions430 million5.6%
Other religions61 million0.8%
Judaism15 million0.2%
No religion1,190 million15.4%
World religious populations

Today, 85% of the world belongs to an organized religion. The majority are Christian, although forecasts predict that Islam will catch up with Christianity by 2050. There are dozens of Christian-majority countries and fifty Muslim-majority ones, with more expected.

In sharp contrast, Jews, the most persecuted religious group in history, make up less than 0.2% of the global population. Roughly half of them, about 7 million, live in the State of Israel, immediately surrounded by 140 million Muslims. That’s a neighborhood where Muslims outnumber Jews by 127 times.

To consider an analogy, if one were to go to a mall with 500 parking spaces, there would be an equivalent of 4 spots for Jews and 496 for Muslims. By way of comparison, US regulations would require 10 spots be allocated for handicap people, or 2.5 times as many. If one were to stand amongst the ten handicap spots, it would look like the mall has many spots for this subset of the population but to look on a broader basis, one sees that the allocation is very small.

Israel is surrounded by most of the Muslim world. Just among its immediate neighbors, Jews are outnumbered by 127 times.

According to the United Nations own goals in the Declaration, Jews must have the right to pray at their holiest site of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, as “fundamental freedoms for all, without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion,…. [noting] that the constant promotion and realization of the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, as an integral part of the development of society as a whole and within a democratic framework based on the rule of law, would contribute to the strengthening of friendship and cooperation among peoples and States.”

As it relates to organizations and countries that seek to boycott Israel and its supporters, the declaration asserts that “Persons belonging to minorities have the right to establish and maintain, without any discrimination, free and peaceful contacts with other members of their group and with persons belonging to other minorities, as well as contacts across frontiers with citizens of other States to whom they are related by national or ethnic, religious or linguistic ties.” The BDS movements targeting Jews and Jewish groups that support Israel, such as the one passed by Berkeley Law in August 2022, clearly run afoul of the UN action meant to protect marginalized groups, and to help foster friendship and cooperation.

The anti-Semitic public chant to “Globalize the Intifada” is an illegal direct incitement to violence against Jews, but was not prosecuted in the US or elsewhere. Absolution Via Inaction.

The fundamental reality is that Jews in every country and in the one Jewish State are simultaneously regional and global Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities that must be protected by every single member state of the United Nations.

Related articles:

Israel: Security in a Small Country

The Three Camps of Ethnic Cleansing in the BDS Movement

Islamic Privilege

Reclaiming Zionism From Antisemites Will Not Occur With Tikkun Olam

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“Zionism, the ideological undergirding of Israel, is a debatable political philosophy.“

– Keith Ellison, Attorney General of Minnesota, former Congressman (D-MN), former Deputy Chair of the Democratic National Committee

Over 1,000 Jews from around the world came to Basel, Switzerland this week to mark the 125th anniversary of the first World Zionist Congress. They celebrated the incredible success of the Modern State of Israel, now 75 years since its reestablishment, a mere 50 years from Theodore Herzl’s initial conference of inspiration was turned into a reality.

The kickoff speaker was Israeli President Isaac “Bougie” Herzog. His speech welcomed the Zionists from around the world, regardless of their religious denominations or political affiliation. He urged all of them to get involved in the Zionist project and questions regarding “the whole Jewish People… to debate them together, in a spirit of mutual responsibility, and most importantly, of full and institutionalized partnership.“

He concluded his remarks that the broad community must “reclaim Zionism” from the vile smears that populate society today. Herzog offered his prescriptions which included uniquely Jewish and Israeli goals, as well as dealing with global issues such as climate change. He mentioned “tikkun olam (repair the world)” three times, as a mission (and potential balm) to combat the insidious woke anti-Semitism infecting the world. “[M]odern Zionism gives us our sense of not only shared fate but also shared destiny, as long as it remains anchored in our deepest roots, weaving together the inseparable threads of peoplehood, land, and state.”

“Nothing is creepier than Zionism. Challenge racism”

Linda Sarsour, former executive director of the Arab American Association of New York, co-chair of the 2017 Women’s March

Herzog’s outreach to his diverse Zionist audience was sweet but showed that he has not internalized the anger and misconceptions about Zionism from the anti-Israel world. Joining the far-left in combatting climate change under the banner of Zionism sounds like he’s read a few articles about intersectionality and “allyship.” To be sure, fighting global issues is a responsibility Israel shares with the entire world, but was not a foundational matter for Herzl’s Zionism 125 years ago, and redefining Modern Zionism in such a manner today will do nothing to “reclaim” the definition from Israel haters who wish to tarnish and destroy the Jewish State.

“We need to pay attention to the Anti-Defamation League. We need to pay attention to the Jewish Federation. We need to pay attention to the Zionist synagogues. We need to pay attention to the Hillel chapters on our campuses. Because just because they’re your friend today, doesn’t mean that they have your back when it comes to human rights. So oppose the vehement fascists but oppose the polite Zionists too. They are not your friends.”

Zahra Billoo, SAN FRANCISCO EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE COUNCIL OF AMERICAN ISLAMIC RELATIONS (CAIR)

Herzog is correct that we need to “reclaim Zionism,” but not by stretching its meaning into something far afield from its core tenets. We need to educate the world about simple foundational truths, and what Modern Zionism actually means and created.

“European Jewish Zionists claimed to be descendants of the ancient Palestinian Hebrews and to be merely “returning” to their ancient land.”

Joseph Massad, Professor at Columbia University

Universities and extremist media have painted Zionism as a violent nationalist effort by European Jews to steal Arab land. They claim Jews have no history or ties to the land and are simply the latest version of European colonialists. Does Herzog really believe that Israelis bonding over climate change help stop such inanity?

“Zionism was never the gentlest of ideologies.“

Steven Erlander, Journalist for the New York Times

“The Israeli Defense Ministry’s research-and-development arm is best known for pioneering cutting-edge ways to kill people and blow things up“

David Halbfinger, the new York Times’ Jerusalem Bureau chief

Jews, historians and all people of good will need to be clear about basic historical truths and the mission of Modern Zionism.

Modern Zionism did not steal Arab history or land. It is not a derivative of the forgery The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, which falsely asserts an aim to rob Palestinian Arabs as a subset of global domination. The simple fact is that Jews have thousands of years of history in the land of Israel, and have always lived and moved to the land because it is a central part of Judaism.

“The Zionist idea to dominate the area from the Nile to the Euphrates was well known, but Israel realized that the two-State solution would not take it in that direction.”

Hiba Husseini, chairs the Legal Committee to Final Status Negotiations between the Palestinians and Israelis, and a speaker at the united nations

“The Zionist plan is limitless. After Palestine, the Zionists aspire to expand from the Nile to the Euphrates. When they will have digested the region they overtook, they will aspire to further expansion, and so on. Their plan is embodied in the “Protocols of the Elders of Zion”, and their present conduct is the best proof of what we are saying.“

HAMAS Charter, Article 32

Modern Zionism was launched by Herzl on only two ideas. First, that Jews will forever be targeted as minorities in countries around the world, whether they present as devout Orthodox Jews or assimilated secular ones, and second, that the only way for Jews to be secure and have a future is to have sovereignty in their homeland once again.

To be an anti-Zionist means that one doesn’t believe in one of those two things. To be against the first, is to ignore and belittle the horrific crimes committed against the most persecuted people in history. To stand against the second, is to urge for the destruction of the one Jewish State. Both are blatantly anti-Semitic.

“The three basic characteristics of Zionism are: racism, expansionism and settler colonialism”

UC San Diego speaker at Divestment vote

“Israel in its inception is not a Jewish idea but a European one.”

University of Wisconsin BDS Vote

“Reclaiming Zionism” as Israeli President Herzog desires is needed, but his prescription for joining woke causes is nonsensical. Such efforts will not reorient college campuses and the media away from their misconception that Israel is a violent European colonialist state.

Instead, we must state repeatedly the fundamental truths about Jews and the land of Israel. We must clearly articulate the meaning of Zionism, and that anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism. And we must loudly proclaim that we are proud Zionists, and amazed by the liberal democracy that thrives in the illiberal Middle East.

Related articles:

A Core Tenet of Zionism Is Combatting Anti-Semitism

Squeezing Zionism

Hamas And Harvard Proudly Declare Their Anti-Semitism And Anti-Zionism

In San Francisco Schools, Anti-Zionism is Anti-Racism

Black Lives Matter Joins the anti-Israel “Progressives” Fighting Zionism

J Street Says Absolutely Nothing About President Biden’s Trip To Israel

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There is nothing quite as satisfying as a single issue organization getting the attention it seeks from the president of the United States.

Imagine a pro-choice group getting a visit from President Biden. Or an organization focused on conservation watching the president announce a major environmental initiative at a national park. The press releases would be flowery and over-flowing.

So it is not a surprise that AIPAC, the bi-partisan pro-Israel organization issued press releases surrounding President Biden’s trip to the Middle East.

First on July 14, it issued a statement on the Jerusalem Declaration. The three paragraph press release opened with “AIPAC welcomes the historic Jerusalem Declaration that will strengthen and expand the U.S.-Israel relationship. This critical declaration reflects America’s enduring and ironclad alliance with the Jewish state, which is based on shared values and interests. It pledges America’s commitment to Israel’s security by ensuring the protection of Israel’s qualitative military edge.” It acknowledged the efforts of the president in the closing statement “We deeply appreciate the leadership of President Biden and Prime Minister Lapid and their administrations in forging this unequivocal commitment to the continuing partnership between the U.S. and Israel.“

AIPAC press releases about President Biden’s visit to the Middle East in July 2022

AIPAC issued another statement the following day thanking Saudi Arabia for opening its airspace for a direct flight from Israel for the president. AIPAC once again thanked President Biden for making it happen: “We are grateful for the efforts of President Biden and his administration in achieving this breakthrough as well as those of the Israeli and Saudi governments.“

Another pro-Israel organization, the Democratic Majority For Israel (DMFI) similarly celebrated the presidential visit to Israel with a press release. It issued a three paragraph statement thanking the president, leading with “From the moment President Biden landed at Ben Gurion airport for the 10th time on Wednesday and declared, ‘You need not be a Jew to be a Zionist,’ we were reminded that his affection for the Jewish state runs, as he likes to say, ‘bone deep.’” It continued:

“Over the three-day visit, the President reaffirmed his administration’s enduring commitment to the U.S.-Israel relationship through new security and technology partnerships, vowed to prevent a nuclear armed Iran, and delivered tangible steps towards advancing peace between Israel and Arab states. His emotional visit to the hallowed ground of Yad Vashem and meeting with survivors of the Holocaust underscored his promise to stand against anti-Israel and antisemitic hatred around the world.

“We applaud the administration’s leadership and steady diplomacy in brokering an agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel with the announcement that Saudi Arabia will open its airspace to planes flying to and from Israel. Now, Israel’s nearly two-million Muslim citizens will be able to take charter flights directly to Saudi Arabia to participate in the Hajj. This is an important step towards building a more peaceful and integrated Middle East. We urge the administration to keep up the momentum and continue this vital work.”

This enthusiasm should not be a surprise, as DMFI is not only a pro-Israel group, but focused on the Democratic Party, getting to celebrate a Democratic president visiting Israel.

One cannot say the same for J Street.

While it mislabels itself as “the political home of pro-Israel, pro-peace Americans“, the Jewish progressive group revealed its true mission by completely skipping the Democratic president’s trip to Israel.

Screen shot of J Street press releases from June 24 to July 21, 2022 did not include any statements about Democratic President Joe Biden’s visit to Israel.

Instead of marking the incredible event of this “pro-Israel” (their words, not mine), J Street spoke about Roe v. Wade (not in its tagline), its support of far left-wing congressional candidates (five times!) and lambasting Israel three times, including a call to condition aid to Israel (something Biden said he would never do).

J Street is a far left-wing group masquerading as a pro-Israel organization, which chose not to utter a single positive thing about a Democratic president visiting Israel. Its supporters who care about Israel should shift their donations to DMFI, and those who care about other progressive issues should donate to those specific causes which speak to the donor. Abandon J Street, as it continues to reveal itself as a deceitful front to shield anti-Semites and anti-Zionists.

Related articles:

J Street’s Ben Ami Smears Moderate Jews As Racists

Snapshot Of J Street’s Friends and Foes

Students For Justice in Palestine Says J Street Is The Gateway For Jewish Anti-Zionists

J Street Proves Again It’s Progressive, Not Pro-Israel

Palestinian Inversion Of Facts Based On Refusal To Coexist

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The too familiar routine of a Palestinian Arab viciously attacking a Jewish civilian unfolded again. An Arab repeatedly stabbed a Jewish civilian, and then another Jewish civilian witnessed the crime and shot the terrorist.

The sequence is straightforward. The perpetrator and victim are clear.

But only if you see the actions through the lens of coexistence, as most Israelis and the western world perceive.

For Palestinian Arabs and their sympathizers, Jews have no right to even be next to the Arab. The basic presence of Jews was the offense, and therefore the Arab is the actual victim twice over – first having to live with Jews, and then to be shot by those same “settlers.”

Palestinian media covered the event with the header “Israeli settler shoots Palestinian in Jerusalem,” making the incident appear as an unprovoked Israeli attack on Arabs, absolution via inversion.

The Jerusalem Post headline was the opposite: “Jerusalem stabbing attack: 41-year-old in moderate condition.” The audience readily understood that the terrorist was an Arab who attacked a Jewish civilian.

The Jerusalem Post article continued with “Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said the stabbing was ‘a natural response to the occupation’s crimes against our Islamic and Christian sanctities in the city of Jerusalem. This act of resistance confirms once again the failure of all attempts to stop the escalation of the act of resistance in the occupied West Bank and the city of Jerusalem,’ he said.“

While Israelis attempt to live lives of coexistence, Palestinian Arabs believe that Jews have no history or rights to live in the land, especially in Jerusalem. The Arab street, political parties and media openly support violence to “resist” the presence of Jews.

The nature of the conflict is clear: an Israeli vision of coexistence compared to an Arab vision of a Jew-free land.

Related articles:

Abbas Declares All of Israel is a “Painful Settlement”

Palestinians Want Their Young Girls To Become Terrorists

Review of Media Headlines on Palestinian Arab Terror Spree

Hamas’s Willing Executioners

Excerpt of Hamas Charter to Share with Your Elected Officials

NY Times Is Not Willfully Ignorant But Willfully Misleading About The Arab-Israeli Conflict

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If one were to be generous about the many flaws in journalism today, one could argue that the media model is so broken that the companies can no longer afford to hire enough or high quality reporters. As such, the papers simply do not do the homework required to properly educate today’s readership which already has access to tons of information online but may not be able to locate, assemble or analyze the copious volume of data.

FirstOneThrough has criticized the anti-Israel bias of The New York Times and its latest reporter on Israel, Patrick Kingsley (who is actually much better than past Times reporters), including just a few days ago regarding President Joe Biden’s visit to the Middle East. In his article “In First Visit As President, Biden Will Find Changed Middle East Political Scene.” Kingsley placed blame for the failure of peace between Israel and Palestinian Arabs squarely on the shoulders of Israeli action, absolving the Palestinian Authority of any criticism. One might assume that Kingsley was ignorant about the sentiments of Palestinian Arabs, the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, the political-terrorist group which governs Gaza. It would be both pathetic and generous to consider that the journalist covering Israel and the PA didn’t know that Palestinian Arabs poll themselves every three months.

Alas, there is a reason that many Zionists shun the New York paper and describe it as a pro-Palestinian propaganda rag, as revealed on July 16, 2022.

New York Times article on July 16, 2022, page A8, which highlights select data from Palestinian polls (five red boxes with associated questions from June 2022 PCPSR poll)

Kingsley clearly read the results of the June 2022 poll, as he cited the findings of six responses about the unhappiness of Palestinian Arabs. However, Kingsley refused to mention Palestinians preference for war against Jewish civilians and the rejection of a two state solution proposed by Biden, in other responses found throughout the poll.

While The New York Times cited some responses from a Palestinian poll about Arab unhappiness (such as Q49), it neglected to mention the various responses supporting violence (including Q47, Q48/5, Q51 and Q52, above)

Poll question 64 asked people in the West Bank and Gaza “Concerning armed attacks against Israeli civilians inside Israel, I….,” a question which should be labelled a war crime. Outrageously, 25% strongly support and 27% support the idea – a majority of those polled.

The response to Q52 had 56% of Palestinian Arabs supporting armed attacks by Arab lone wolves inside of Israel. The response to Q51 showed that 59% of Arabs think that the lone wolf attacks “contribute to the Palestinian Interest in ending the occupation.”

The responses to many questions show that a majority of Palestinian Arabs favor armed attacks against Jewish civilians and reject a two state solution (Q42 has 69% opposing two states and Q45 has 69% opposing negotiations with Israel). But Kingsley opted to not cite any of those findings.

Instead, the article titled “Biden Gives Palestinians Funding and Sympathy, But No Long-Term Plans” ended with a quote that Biden “empathized with Palestinian frustrations. ‘The Palestinian people are hurting now – you can just feel it, he said‘” echoing the statistics of Palestinian unhappiness but not their thirst for blood nor the destruction of Israel.

While Palestinians openly tell of their desire for the destruction of the Jewish State and the murder of Jews, the mainstream media and polite politicians only can see Arab “frustrations.” It’s absolution via calculated omission, and a lethal form of anti-Semitism.

Related articles:

The New York Times Excuses Palestinian “Localized Expressions of Impatience.” I Mean Rockets.

The Veil of Hatred

No Jews Killed In New York Times Telling Of Palestinian Terror Wave

The Nerve of ‘Judaizing’ Neighborhoods

Will The New York Times Write About Terrorism From Israelis’ Point Of View?

Palestinian Actions Matter

The United Nations Can Hear the Songs of Gazans, but Cannot See Their Rockets

J Street’s Ben Ami Smears Moderate Jews As Racists

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It is difficult to pinpoint exactly when America became so divided as a nation. Political parties and politicians had smeared opposing sides since the founding of the republic – especially during election season – but citizens were able to sit and converse with people of a different party.

Some people have squarely put the blame on Donald Trump. The man didn’t merely have a different set of priorities and policies, but his vulgarity, misogyny and various racist and demeaning comments put him beyond the pale for many Americans. The fact that he won the presidency, did not simply upset people but made them question the moral fabric of society.

The people who voted for Hillary Clinton in November 2016 did not simply support her, they internalized her September 2016 comments about Trump supporters when she said “You know, to just be grossly generalistic, you could put half of Trump’s supporters into what I call the basket of deplorables. Right? The racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamaphobic—you name it. And unfortunately there are people like that. And he has lifted them up.“

Clinton took aim at half of America, and the insult felt by the targets of the attack, as well as the concurrence of her supporters, continues to be felt today in a deeply divided America.

The Jewish community may similarly have broken during the 2022 primary season.

In commenting about various Democratic primaries, Jeremy Ben Ami, the head of the far-left wing Jewish pro-Palestinian group J Street smeared Jewish moderates as racists, saying “There seems to be something particularly on the line for some parts of the Jewish community when women of color speak out.“

J Street President Jeremy Ben Ami
NY Times article on July 16, 2022

The vile smear would be bad enough if Ben Ami was attacking the Republican Jewish Coalition, the opposing right-wing political advocacy group to J Street. But Ben Ami was attacking fellow Democrats who support the agenda of the moderate Democratic group, Democratic Majority For Israel (DMFI) and the bi-partisan group AIPAC.

The divide in the United States is tragically growing deeper. We may now also be witnessing the cleft in the Jewish community break open, as J Street slanders Jews to the right of their far-left ideology as irredeemable bigots.

Related articles:

Snapshot Of J Street’s Friends and Foes

Students For Justice in Palestine Says J Street Is The Gateway For Jewish Anti-Zionists

J Street Proves Again It’s Progressive, Not Pro-Israel

J Street Pushes to Make Israel a Partisan Issue

Will You Finally Show J Street and Its Backers the Door?

J Street: Home for Pro-Palestinian, Pro-Peace Americans

NY Times Absolves Palestinians For The Failure Of Biden’s Preferred Two State Solution

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The New York Times is obsessed with telling the world the false narrative that Palestinian Arabs are helpless victims in the Arab-Israeli conflict. It pushed the fake story again, that Israel is solely responsible for Palestinian misery, ahead of US President Joe Biden’s visit to the region later this week.

The New York Times absolving Palestinian Arabs of their direct participation in their fate.

Patrick Kingsley wrote that Biden “believes in a two state solution to the conflict.” Followed by a big “But…” which accused Israeli actions of undermining Biden’s goals.

  • In FOUR separate locations. the Times called out “Israeli occupation” and “settlement expansion,” including falsely alleging that Jews living in the West Bank “make a two state solution less viable.”
  • Another reason mentioned for the stalemate in peace discussions is “divisions within the Palestinian leadership.”
  • Lastly, the Times wrote that peace is far off because of “Israeli disinterest in peace negotiations.”

The article did NOT mention that 69% of Palestinian Arabs are opposed to the two state solution.

The paper did not write that 65% of Palestinian Arabs do not want Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas to even meet with Biden.

The Palestinian propaganda piece did not inform its readers that the PA continues to pay Arab terrorists who attack Israelis, and that funding such terrorism is a condition for the US to hand the PA any monies according to the Taylor Force Act.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg. The Times refuses to accurately describe Palestinian Arabs as almost uniformly anti-Semitic, deny the history of the Jews in their holy land, have laws which prevent Jews from buying land, elected a Holocaust-denier to president, and who favor the Hamas terrorist group to lead the country now.

Palestinian Arabs are principally and directly responsible for their stateless situation, in continuing to deny Jews their human rights and dignity. But The New York Times prefers to peddle misinformation in its ardent defense of the “underdog,” even if those Arabs are anti-Semitic, Holocaust-denying terrorist-supporters. Or maybe because of it.

Related articles:

Biden To Push Coexistence Agenda To Palestinian Arabs Not Interested

Abbas Declares All of Israel is a “Painful Settlement”

For The New York Times, “From the River to the Sea” Is The Chant of Jewish and Christian Zealots

The Palestinians aren’t “Resorting to Violence”; They are Murdering and Waging War

Biden Enables Anti-Semitism On College Campuses

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The terrible news seems to come out daily: anti-Semitism on the rise in cities and towns across the country. One of the worst locations is college campuses, where the government has the power to reduce the scourge, and refuses to do so.

Beyond The US And Beyond This Year

To be clear, the problem is not just local and not only recent.

In March 2022, United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson said “I think that our universities, for far too long, have been tolerant of casual or indeed systemic anti-Semitism… it’s important that we have an anti-Semitism task force devoted to rooting out anti-Semitism in education,” calling out the Jew hatred in universities.

US President Donald Trump issued Executive Order 13899—Combating Anti-Semitism in December 2019 to address the problem, stating “my Administration is committed to combating the rise of anti-Semitism and anti-Semitic incidents in the United States and around the world. Anti-Semitic incidents have increased since 2013, and students, in particular, continue to face anti-Semitic harassment in schools and on university and college campuses.”

The United States government was trying to tackle the issue in November 2017 when it held a hearing to consider interpreting Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to protect Jewish students and other religious minorities from discrimination. At that time, Rabbi Cooper, Associate Dean, Director Global Social Action Agenda, Simon Wiesenthal Center called out for the government to help combat the hatred, arguing that “The failure of schools and Federal Government to protect Jewish students on campus from harassment is one of the most pressing issues for the American Jewish Community.”

But educational institutions and the government are backing away from providing protections to Jewish students on campus.

Failure of Leadership

The City University of New York (CUNY) has seen an enormous spike in anti-Semitic incidents. To combat the menace, over 100 non-profit institutions wrote a letter on June 28, 2022 to the NYC Council Committee on Higher Education to address “the alarming rise of antisemitism on campuses across the country, and at CUNY in particular.” After being postponed once, the committee finally met to address this serious issue, but CUNY Chancellor Felix Matos Rodriguez did not attend. Brooklyn Councilwoman Inna Vernikov was angered at the chancellor’s absence and said “last night, in a very cowardly fashion, the chancellor said he won’t appear. Instead he sent a lawyer to represent him. What a sham, what an insult to the Jewish community of New York.“

President Biden is similarly aware of the scourge of anti-Semitism on campuses and opted to delay action until after mid-term elections.

President Biden is aware of the scourge of anti-Semitism on campuses and opted to delay action until after mid-term elections.

Shortly after Biden took office in February 2021, Kara McDonald, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, embraced the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism. She said “we must educate ourselves and our communities to recognize antisemitism in its many forms, so that we can call hate by its proper name and take effective action. That is why the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism, with its real-world examples, is such an invaluable tool.”

It was the logical and appropriate time for Biden to follow-through on Trump’s EO 13899 and the federal government’s efforts to apply the IHRA definition to Title VI. Title VI “prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin in any program or activity that receives Federal funds or other Federal financial assistance.” As most colleges receive federal funds and would collapse without them, and the fact that Jews do not fall neatly into “race, color or national origin,” Jews were counting on inclusion in the Title VI clause together with the working definition of anti-Semitism.

But Biden decided to postpone a decision on the Title VI matter until December 2022, after mid-term elections.

Biden Fears the Far-Left Anti-Zionists

While Biden was willing to champion the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism, he fears members of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) within his party, and the threat that they will primary incumbent party centrists out of office. The IHRA definition has several references to Israel including “Accusing Jewish citizens of being more loyal to Israel“, “Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis” and “Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor.” These anti-Zionist and anti-Semitic statements often come from the mouths of Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Cori Bush (D-MO), members of the DSA. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-NY), a leading shrill voice of the DSA, has stated plainly that her squad will come after centrists if the Democratic leadership doesn’t bend to their extremist policy demands, including lambasting Israel. Biden doesn’t want to anger the squad and risk his party’s slim majority.

President Biden with Rep. Rashida Tlaib (left) and Rep. Debbie Dingell, May 2021. (photo: Evan Vucci/AP)

While studies have shown that “much of the antisemitic activity [on college campuses] was perpetrated by anti-Zionist students and student groups” at schools with “faculty academic boycotters,” and the federal government has a clear pathway to clamp down on the Jew hatred, President Biden has chosen to place party politics ahead of the safety of the young adults of the most persecuted minority in America.

Related articles:

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Biden To Push Coexistence Agenda To Palestinian Arabs Not Interested

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The White House announced that President Biden “will visit the Middle East region from July 13th to July 16th with stops in Israel, the West Bank, and Saudi Arabia.” The release added that Biden would meet Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas “reaffirming his lifelong commitment to a two-state solution.“

The stampede of elephants in the room is that the Abbas has no authority, no mandate, no control and no abilities, and that Palestinian Arabs have no interest in a two state solution, preferring war.

Then U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden (L) shakes hands with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank city of Ramallah March 9, 2016. (photo: REUTERS/Debbie Hill/Pool)

Mahmoud Abbas – The Straw Man

No Authority. Abbas won presidential election in January 2005. That four-year term ended in January 2009, over 13 years ago. Abbas continues to suspend elections as he knows he would lose. According to a June 2022 Palestinian poll, if elections were held now, Abbas would lose to Ismail Haniyeh of the political-terrorist group HAMAS by 55% to 33%.

No Mandate. That same poll shows that Palestinian Arabs in both the “West Bank” and Gaza despise Abbas, noting that “demand for Abbas’ resignation stands at 72% in the West Bank and 84% in the Gaza Strip.” Further, “perception of corruption in PA institutions stands at 86%.“

No Control. The PA only controls Areas A and B in the West Bank. It has no control over Gaza after getting routed from the territory by HAMAS in 2007. Abbas has no control over a significant percent of his land and people, and cannot deliver anything to Palestinian Arabs or Israelis.

No Ability To Negotiate. Since 2007, Abbas has been unable to negotiate even a unity government between his Fatah party and the rival HAMAS. How could anyone imagine he has the skill or ability to negotiate with Israelis?

Why would anyone negotiate with such a person on the most fundamental principles that the person has no ability to deliver? Because it supplies multiple fig leaves: that the Palestinian Arabs have set up a government and are capable of ruling themselves to ultimately become an independent state to show the world on one hand; and on the other, to make the Palestinian Arabs feel like the world cares.

Mahmoud Abbas – Against Basic U.S. Principles and Human Rights

The United States – and the civilized world – have basic principles regarding human rights which Abbas tramples upon.

Funding terrorism. The US Congress passed the Taylor Force Act which “condition[ed] assistance to the West Bank and Gaza on steps by the Palestinian Authority to end violence and terrorism against Israeli citizens.” Abbas doesn’t care, and told the world at the United Nations that he celebrated martyrs and was commited to pay Palestinian terrorist families “even if it costs PA its last penny.”

Inciting terrorism. Abbas fans the flames of a violent jihad against Jews. He frequently lies that the Al Aqsa Mosque is in danger of being attacked by Jews to foment violence by any means.

Denying Jews The Right To Buy Property and Live. Abbas’ PA has a law that makes selling land to Jews a capital offense. Abbas makes his goal clear, that “In a final resolution, we would not see the presence of a single Israeli [Jew] – civilian or soldier – on our lands.”

Denying Jewish History. Abbas wrote his doctoral thesis on Holocaust denial, pretty abhorrent on its face. He further denies over 3,000 years of Jewish history in the Jewish holy land, calling Jews “colonial invaders.” He denies that the Jewish temples stood on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem and mocks Jews that they are trying to “Judaize” Jerusalem.

The world pretends that this anti-Semitic extremist is a moderate. The sad reality is that he is a moderate, solely by Palestinian Arab standards.

Palestinian Arabs Don’t Want Two States, They Want ’48

Jews Have No Rights Whatsoever In The Land. The average Palestinian Arab in the Palestinian territories believes that the land is 100% Arab and that Jews have no rights to be there. Their position is plain that they do not want to share the land. It is founded on a national narrative that Jews are “colonial invaders” who came to the land as a function of “European imperialism.” That is why pro-Palestinian supporters shout “we don’t want two states, we want ’48,” and “from the river to the sea,” that the entirety of the region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River will be Arab.

No Interest In A Two State Solution. Not surprisingly believing that Jews have no history or rights, Palestinian Arabs have no interest in a two state solution. They’ve rejected it from the 1947 Partition Plan until the latest June 2022 poll, when only 28% of respondents favored the idea, with 69% opposed.

Preference For War. Rejecting coexistence, Palestinian Arabs want either the global community to pressure Israel out of existence or to wage war for Israel’s destruction. In June 2022, 56% want the PA to join more international organizations (counter to the parameters of the Oslo Accords signed between the PA and Israel to advance peace), and 55% want to start another armed “initifada,” meaning jihadist terrorism. Currently, 56% of Palestinian Arabs favor attacking Jewish civilians inside of Israel, with 59% believing the terrorism “contributes to the national interest.“

Deeply Embedded Anti-Semitism. The Anti-Defamation League conducted a poll in 2014 about anti-Semitic attitudes around the world. Palestinian Arabs were by far the most anti-Semitic, with almost every single person – a sickening 93% – hating Jews.

It is no wonder that there are so many Palestinian terrorist groups and that the Palestinians intend on voting for one should elections ever be held again.

The US President Honors Anti-Semitism And Wastes Political Capital

Despite the plain facts that Abbas is a straw man who leads anti-Semites not interested in making peace with Israel, President Biden is going to travel to meet him. In doing so, Biden will be giving honor to this despised leader and upsetting 65% of Palestinian Arabs who don’t want the PA to engage with Biden. Even worse, decent Americans will be forced to watch their president listen to the rants and demands of an anti-Semite who supports terrorism, knowing that Biden will just smile and hand Abbas millions of dollars.

The United States invested billions of dollars in Israel and got a strong reliable ally in the Middle East with a vibrant democracy, economy and record of human rights. The US also invested billions of dollars into the Palestinian Arabs, which remains corrupt, inept and hostile to peace and decency. When will people pause to reflect on the return on investments from human and monetary capital?

Related articles:

Abbas Declares All of Israel is a “Painful Settlement”

Abbas Failed To Capitalize on Trump’s Gift

Abbas’s Speech and the Window into Antisemitism and Anti-Zionism

Welcoming the Unpopular Non-President (Abbas) of a Non-Country (Palestine)