06/21 Links Pt2: Guilty Until Proven Innocent–and then STILL Guilty; What Europeans and Palestinians have in common; Least Friendly Countries to Jews: Belgium & Poland; Friendliest: Italy & Hungary ~ EoZ

From Ian:

Fred Maroun: Guilty Until Proven Innocent–and then STILL Guilty

We may never know how Abu Akleh was killed, but we do know one thing: when there is an opportunity to make accusations against Israel, the pro-Palestinian media is quick to judge Israel guilty without any proof, and some of the international media follows far too willingly. The death of Abu Akleh, which occurred in Jenin in the West Bank, reminds me of another accusation against Israel: the so-called Jenin massacre.

A battle took place in Jenin in the first few days of April 2002 during the Second Intifada after Israeli soldiers entered Jenin, as part of Operation Defensive Shield, in search for terrorists who were responsible for several terrorist attacks. Palestinian sources quickly claimed that a massacre had occurred, and Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch (HRW), and some international news outlets repeated the accusation without any proof.

The claim of a Jenin massacre has since then been widely discredited. As was written in the Washington Post on May 3, 2002, “The “Jenin massacre” is more than a fiction. It is a hoax.” But in the pro-Palestinian media, the lie endures. The Middle East Monitor repeated the accusation as recently as April 2020. Al Jazeera repeated the accusation in April 2018.

In an ideal world, the tactic of making blatantly false accusations should never work because people should be able to see through them, but the tactic works because too many people see what they want to see. The enduring lie by Donald Trump that he won the 2020 US presidential election is a great example; over 40 percent of Americans still believe it.

Lies work (more or less), but what have they achieved for the Palestinians? Nothing. Lies cannot build a state any more than Palestinian terrorism can.

In the end, in terms of the Palestinian goal of self-determination, however Shireen Abu Akleh was killed is of no significant importance. If it is determined that an Israeli soldier acted improperly, that soldier will be punished, but whether that happens or not, the reasons why the Palestinians do not have their own state will remain the same. The pro-Palestinian media, which Abu Akleh was part of, will continue to ignore those reasons, and they will continue to report dishonestly on the conflict.

David Collier: This is not an article about Shireen Abu Akleh

Yesterday, the NYT published the findings of its investigation into the killing of Shireen Abu Akleh. They found that an Israeli soldier probably fired the shot that killed her. Last month I wrote an article about the rancid CNN investigation into the same incident which even disgracefully claimed Israel shot her deliberately. The Washington Post also ran an investigation into the killing. So did Bellingcat.

All of the basic truths remain the same. None of these reports have included a forensic analysis of the actual bullet that killed the journalist. Why? Because the Palestinians do not want this to take place.

For now, the Palestinians are milking a perfect scenario. Everyone is blaming Israel anyway, and the story is dragging out month after month. Eventually, if the Palestinians are confident an Israeli soldier did fire the shot, they may even produce the bullet for inspection – thus ‘proving’ Israel did it and creating a whole new round of ‘we were right’ stories in the international media. Of course, if the Palestinians have any doubt at all over what really happened, they wouldn’t dare risk the fall-out.

An Israeli soldier may have shot her. These things can and do happen in areas of conflict. That isn’t the point. The issue remains that Israel cannot know for sure, so is being held hostage by Palestinians who benefit from the very information void that they have created.

On the one side we have major media outlets scrambling to produce endless reports about the killing, on the other Jews are left able to do nothing but point to the weaknesses in all these investigations.

Jews are always left fighting a desperate corner, rather than pointing out the blatant discrimination that placed them there.

Because this is not an article about Shireen Abu Akleh. The real question is why are we seeing an endless stream of pointless dead-end investigations into this incident? This irrational obsession that surrounds her death is rooted in exceptionalism, discrimination, blatant bias and antisemitism. To highlight this I just want you to meet some people you probably have never – and will never – hear about:

JPost Editorial: Israel must release the Shireen Abu Akleh probe findings

At the same time, Israel’s determination of how the veteran American Palestinian journalist was killed in Jenin on May 11 is also pending – despite the publication by key media outlets of some extremely damaging reports.

Even though the official postmortem report by the Palestinian Authority said it could not determine who shot the fatal bullet, The Washington Post, CNN and The Associated Press published the results of their own probes, finding that Abu Akleh was killed by an IDF bullet – with some even suggesting that she had been deliberately shot by Israeli troops.

Although the IDF squarely rejected these allegations, we are still awaiting the results of the military investigation ordered by Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kohavi. “There is one thing that can be determined with certainty: no IDF soldier deliberately fired at a journalist,” Kohavi stated. “We investigated this. That is the conclusion and there is no other.”

In response to The Washington Post report, the IDF said it would “continue to responsibly investigate the incident in order to get to the truth of this tragic event. The bullet is vital to reaching a conclusion as to the source of the fire that killed Abu Akleh, and it is an important source for reaching an evidence-based conclusion. The Palestinians continue to refuse the IDF’s offer to conduct a joint forensic examination of the bullet, with American representation.”

We urge the IDF and the Israel Police to publish the results of all their investigations into Abu Akleh’s death and her funeral as soon as possible. Israelis, Palestinians, Americans and people around the world need to know the truth – whatever it is.

What Europeans and Palestinians have in common

Von Der Leyen is absolutely right. As the years go by, the "old evil" becomes more sophisticated, especially when governments and commissions are involved rather than brainwashed individuals with shaved heads.

Unfortunately for them, loading Jews onto cattle cars is no longer an option. Instead, they chose to play smart, and get some humanitarian points along the way.

The poison that Von Der Leyen was referring to is no doubt part of her daily routine, as well as that of 26 out of 27 representatives of European member states in the parliament. How do I know? Because immediately after Von Der Leyen's remarks, she traveled to Ramallah, where she met with Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh, who was astonished when the European Commission president told him aid that the 225 million euro ($237million) aid package to Palestinians would be restored.

Why was Shtayyeh astonished? Because this aid package was put on hold in April 2021, when the Palestinian school curriculum was "revealed" to include two books that incite violence against Jews, including calls to murder Israelis. These continue to be part of the list of books that Palestinian parents buy their children at the beginning of each year. Shtayyeh did not expect for the aid package to be renewed, because he assumed Von Der Leyen's would be a courtesy visit.

Do not be fooled, the massive funding is renewed not despite the fact that the Palestinians have not removed the books from their curriculum, but precisely because of it.

The Palestinian desire to murder Jews resonates with the European inclination with deadly precision. Von Der Leyen was right about antisemitism being alive and kicking and continuing to poison society. There is no doubt that she and those she represents are in need of a massive detox, the chances of which are highly unlikely.

Jew-Hatred Is on the Rise: 10 Ways to Fight Back

What might have seemed unimaginable to many American Jews just a few years ago has now become all too frequent. Anti-Israel, anti-Zionist, and antisemitic incidents are being reported near and far. Those who thought that threats faced by Jews occurred elsewhere in the world, but not here at home, have woken up to new realities.

The overarching question is how to respond. There is no one-size-fits-all answer, but here are ten ways to fight back:

First, elected officials should be held accountable for how they react — or fail to react — when Israel is maligned, or Zionism is vilified, or Jews are threatened, or, for that matter, when the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism comes up as a proposal for adoption.

Politicians who seek support in every election cycle should understand that these are issues that matter to many voters. They should not be allowed to get away with practiced soundbites or glib phrases when they appear in front of, say, a synagogue, but then take a different stance elsewhere.

Case in point: In the 11 days of fighting last year triggered by Hamas-launched rockets at Israel, some political leaders stepped up to express their support and clear understanding of the story. But others, including a few who purport to be friends of the pro-Israel community, were missing in action or resorting to late-night whispered comments for fear, in their own minds, they could otherwise potentially jeopardize their careers. That is unacceptable.

Second, institutions need to be held accountable. Some schools and colleges support Jewish and pro-Israel students on campus who feel targeted, while others have betrayed the trust of those students.

This is not about asking institutions to become full-throated supporters of a particular political stance, but rather ensuring that their environments do not become poisoned by hatred, bigotry, intimidation, bullying, or ostracism. Jewish and pro-Israel students have the right to feel safe, protected, free to express their views, and to be proud of their identity, no less than any others.

If those institutions fail, then they need to be held to account by trustees, alumni, parents, prospective parents, and others. And this doesn’t just apply to educational institution, but equally to the workplace, civic groups, labor unions, and social movements.

NY Gov Issues Proclamation Embracing IHRA Definition of Antisemitism

New York Governor Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, issued a proclamation on June 12 embracing the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism.

Hochul made the announcement during the American Jewish Committee’s Global Forum. The proclamation calls antisemitism “a pernicious and insidious hatred that threatens not only the Jewish people, but society as a whole” that is at “intolerable levels” throughout New York and the United States as a whole. “My administration believes the IHRA working definition of antisemitism is a vital resource in the struggle against antisemitism, and that will facilitate constructive discourse, further understanding, and enable a more thoughtful response to this harmful behavior that impacts us all,” the proclamation stated.

Hochul added in a tweet: “Make no mistake: in New York, there’s no room for antisemitism or hate.”

Tonight at the @AJCGlobal Forum, I was proud to announce my administration has issued a proclamation highlighting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of antisemitism.

Make no mistake: in New York, there’s no room for antisemitism or hate. pic.twitter.com/fbm80hR4tN
— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) June 12, 2022
StandWithUs Northeast Regional Director Avi Posnick praised Hochul in a statement. “We are deeply appreciative to Governor Hochol for endorsing the IHRA definition of antisemitism,” he said. “Defining antisemitism is the first step to identifying and defeating it. We look forward to working with the Governor to fight bigotry against Jews across the state.”

Study: Least Friendly Countries to Jews in Europe: Belgium & Poland; Friendliest: Italy & Hungary

The European Jewish Association (EJA) on Tuesday issued a comprehensive report by the London-based Institute for Jewish Policy Research’s statistician Daniel Staetsky, titled, “Europe and Jews, a country index of respect and tolerance towards Jews.” The study found that the least friendly countries to Jewish life in Europe are Belgium and Poland, while the friendliest countries to Jews are Italy and Hungary.

The study was released at the annual conference of leaders of Jewish communities in Europe which is held this week in Budapest by EJA. The study was conducted over the past two years and it examines the performance of European governments, weighing practical activities such as the fight against antisemitism, caring for the security of the Jewish community, freedom of religion, cultivating Jewish culture, and even how each European state votes on Israel-related issues at the UN.

EJA Chairman Rabbi Menachem Margolin said “the aim of the study is not to clash with this or that government and certainly not to embarrass or campaign against this or that government but to create a comparative scientific infrastructure on the quality of Jewish life in various European countries and allow community leaders and government heads to know what practical steps are needed to overcome the challenges together.”

The study also weighs government performance data based on previous surveys that analyzed the sense of security of European Jews, as well as the percentage of Jews who have experienced antisemitic incidents in person and the percentage of the gentile population that hold negative views about Jews and Israel.

Of the 12 countries where the majority of European Jews live, France is perceived as the least safe. France is also one of the countries that have taken the most urgent steps to ensure the continued security of its Jewish community. Belgium has done the least to offer its vast Jewish community a sense of safety and has attacked features of Jewish life such as kosher slaughtering.

Sweden Undertakes Measures to Address Jewish Life, Antisemitism in Country

Sweden is appointing an official to examine the obstacles to Jewish life in the Scandinavian country and make proposals on how to strengthen Jewish life there, according to the European Jewish Congress, which praised the move.

“No one should hesitate to live out their identity and tell others about it. We must ensure that Jews can and dare to live a Jewish life, now and in the future,” said Swedish Minister of Culture Jeanette Gustafsdotter, according to a press release provided by the EJC.

The announcement comes as Sweden hosts a meeting of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) in Stockholm. Sweden assumed the presidency of the IHRA in March and named Swedish Ambassador Ann Bernes as the organization’s president. (The alliance rotates leadership among its members every year.) Representatives from 35 countries are attending this year’s event.

It also comes days after a teaching-training program was held on educating students about the Holocaust and antisemitism, which included workshops on teaching about antisemitism and identifying antisemitic language. It was attended by some 70 educators from across the country, all of whom have visited Yad Vashem: The World Holocaust Remembrance Center in Jerusalem.

Among the groups that organized the training program was the Israeli embassy in Sweden.

Judge: Lawsuit Alleging ‘American Muslims For Palestine’ Is Successor To Terror-Linked Groups Can Go Forward

A case against two organizations charged with being successors-in-interest to terror-supporting groups may move forward, a federal judge has ruled.

The two, American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), an entity we have covered extensively, and Americans for Justice in Palestine Educational Foundation d/b/a American Muslims for Palestine (AJP), are charged with being effectively the same entities as the American Muslim Society (AMS) and the Islamic Association for Palestine (IAP). The latter two, along with the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, shut down rather than pay a $156 million judgment levied against them for helping Hamas.

After their son David was murdered by Hamas terrorists, Stanley and Joyce Boim sued several organizations for providing the Hamas terror group with material support. The idea was borrowed from the Southern Poverty Law Center, a once-great but now ideologically corrupt organization that worked to bankrupt the Ku Klux Klan by suing it for damages.

The organizations the Boims initially sued were affiliated with a now-defunct U.S.-based Hamas support network called the Palestine Committee. These defendant organizations included the Holy Land Foundation, AMS, and IAP. The Palestine Committee network even held a summit meeting in Philadelphia in 1993 to strategize how best to oppose the Oslo Accords and to propagandize and fundraise for Hamas in the U.S. After the Boims filed their suit, the federal government filed a criminal case against the Holy Land Foundation and several individuals, eventually convicting them, and seized the Holy Land Foundation’s assets.

The Boims won their case, and the court awarded them damages of $156 million. The defendants promptly shut down and claimed they had insufficient assets left to pay the judgment. For convenience, I’ll call them the deadbeat defendants.

ILF CEO Arsen Ostrovsky interviewed on i24 TV on latest Ben & Jerry's boycott developments

ILF CEO Arsen Ostrovsky was interviewed on i24 TV about the latest Ben & Jerry's boycott update, including the company's plans to indoctrinate new employees with videos about the Israeli - Palestinian conflict and new lawsuit against parent company Unilever, adding to their legal woes.

Jewish social workers left ‘scared’ over colleagues response to antisemitism

Jewish social workers have admitted they are being left “scared” and “uncomfortable” by the response of their colleagues to their attempts to combat antisemitism.

A motion tabled for debate at this week’s British Association of Social Workers (BASW) conference, backed by the Social Workers Union, (SWU) calls for the body to “suspend the decision to endorse the IHRA definition of antisemitism.”

Meanwhile, a podcast in which two Jewish social workers discussed their experiences of antisemitism, produced in conjunction with the Community Security Trust, was taken down by BASW officials, in response to a complaint from a Palestinian campaigner suggesting the recording “seeks to confuse criticism of apartheid Israel with antisemitism.”

In a response to last October’s podcast dispute, the newly former Social Worker Jewish Group, set up to represent those from the community who practice the profession, issued a statement saying:”Sadly, we expected these types of complaints because the podcast was the first to ever talk about antisemitism and social work, with two Jewish people talking about their experiences.

“We expected attempts to censor, silence, intimidate, and cancel Jewish voices and opinions.”

The podcast was eventually aired again, but a section in which Jewish voices explained how the chant “Free Palestine” could leave them concerned on occasions, was cut from the podcast.

Investigator: Labour Still Infested with Antisemites

Speaking to JNS, Joe Glasman, head of political and government investigations at the Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “British Jews reading reports alleging that Labour councilors have shared material justifying the persecution of Jewish people, promoting conspiracies about the Jewish state, opposing the [International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance] working definition of anti-Semitism and other anti-Semitic material, will be feeling a sense of déjà vu.

“It has been two years since Jeremy Corbyn stepped down as leader of the Labour Party, and yet here we are again with another spate of incidents among Labour officeholders, in some cases newly-elected [ones],” he said.

Labour leader Keir Starmer, whose wife is Jewish, has repeatedly come out against anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism.

Still, watchdog groups say it seems to have little effect on what’s going on among the party’s rank and file.

“Public statements from Labour and Sir Keir Starmer over the past few months extolling the progress that the party has made in tackling anti-Semitism are increasingly divorced from reality,” said Glasman. “Some progress notwithstanding, clearly Labour is still infested with people who have antipathetic views of Jews, and the party’s vetting process is an offensive joke.

“Whether the failures of that process are due to enduring procedural deficiencies or the same cultural problems that have bedeviled the party for years now—or both,” he continued, “Labour is required to address them, and as these stories show, it has yet to succeed in doing so.”

The responses to this announcement of a football match between Ireland and Israel.

???????????????

I weep for Ireland. What a toxic place it has become. https://t.co/R599lZtV4F
— David Collier (@mishtal) June 21, 2022

You were threatened by.....Netta? pic.twitter.com/xYviyvLY7M
— Cartright (@Vandalay_Inc) June 21, 2022

New York Times News Article Defends Aid Worker Who Funneled Millions to Gaza Terrorists

The Associated Press account includes other material details omitted by the Times, including the court’s finding that “el-Halabi was guilty of several charges, including membership in a terror organization, providing information to a terror group, taking part in militant exercises and carrying a weapon. It said he diverted ‘millions’ of dollars every year, as well as equipment, from World Vision and its donors to Hamas. It said Hamas used the funds for militant activities… Pipes and nylon diverted to Hamas were used for military purposes.”

A Christian Broadcasting Network account reports:
“During the relevant period, the defendant met frequently with Qassam operatives in order to be updated on the needs of Hamas. The defendant then worked with World Vision in accordance with these needs,” Justice Natan Zlotchover wrote in the decision…. “The defendant’s confession, given in various ways, is detailed, coherent, with signs of truthfulness,” Zlotchover wrote, adding that the evidence corroborated his account. “The defendant relentlessly sought to retract his confession and gave a host of contradictory and unlikely explanations for how he confessed to the charges against him to two different parties.”

The New York Times article faults Israel for the supposed lack of transparency of the trial. The Times also touts World Vision’s claim that an investigation “led by a global law firm and accompanied by an accounting firm’s audit…‘could not find any evidence of diversion of funds…or any connection between Mohammad and Hamas.’”

Yet World Vision refuses to release publicly this audit or the report of the investigation. When I asked, the organization sent me a statement saying, “Our signed agreement with the firms that conducted the audit specified the report would be shared only with donor governments, regulatory authorities, and key business partners. We have reviewed and taken action on management issues identified in the audit. While we’re committed to transparency, we also must honor our contractual commitment.”

If World Vision is so committed to transparency, why did it sign an agreement in the first place requiring it to keep this report secret? The Times gives World Vision a free pass on the point, applying a double standard. The Times demands absolute transparency for Israel in the middle of a war with a terrorist group dedicated to its destruction. Yet the Times simultaneously tolerates secrecy from the charitable group defending the staff member convicted of aiding the terrorist group. It’s enough to make one suspect that what’s really animating the Times here is something other than a principled concern for transparency.

Indy op-ed promotes lies about Masafer Yatta

We recently posted about a Guardian podcast focusing on the more than 1,000 Palestinians living within 8,150 acres in what’s known as Masafer Yatta – eight hamlets, mostly collections of low-slung homes with makeshift roofs in the South Hebron hills, within Israeli controlled Area C of the West Bank. We demonstrated how it represented another example of the promotion of the Palestinian cause under the guise of journalism.

An op-ed published in the Indy repeated some of the lies in the Guardian podcast and introduced another. The piece (“The Israeli government is trying to destroy my village – we need your help”, June 16) by Basel Adra, “a journalist and activist from Masafer Yatta”, devotes a few paragraphs describing his idyllic childhood in the area, ruined, he complains, by the legal battle in the early 90s to evict him from his home.

He then writes:
Things are now at a critical moment. The Israeli Supreme Court, aligned with the interests of the occupation, has decided that my community can be destroyed at any moment. Some 1,300 people will become homeless and 12 villages will be wiped out.

There are two egregious falsehoods here.

First, he claims that Israel’s Supreme Court, which ruled against the Masafer Yatta petitioners in a 9-0 decision, is “aligned with the interests of the occupation”, though it’s unclear what he means by “the occupation”. Does it refer narrowly to the settler movement, or is it used as a pejorative to describe the state of Israel itself?

Assuming it’s the former, the respected international human rights and democracy advocacy organisation Freedom House strongly disagrees, writing that “[Israel’s] Supreme Court has historically played a crucial role in protecting minority groups and overturning decisions by the government and the parliament when they threaten human rights”.

Poland wants formal rules for Israeli Holocaust study trips

The Polish government wants formal rules to regulate the terms under which Israeli schoolchildren pay Holocaust study visits to the country, including on the presence of armed Israeli guards, an official in Warsaw said Monday.

Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Przydacz said the armed guards accompanying the youth groups, the visits' focus on the Holocaust only and a lack of contact with Polish youth were giving young Israelis a "negative image" of Poland.

"There are also threads appearing (to suggest) that Poland is an anti-Semitic country and for that reason it's dangerous here," Przydacz told Radio RMF24.

He said a new intergovernmental agreement should state in what cases guards with loaded weapons can be present. Warsaw has been seeking such a deal for months, Przydacz said.

Poland would also like young Israelis to meet with their Polish peers and understand their approach to Polish-Jewish history that spans many centuries.

The annual educational trips by thousands of young Israelis were suspended during the pandemic and last week Israel said it was not resuming them because Poland's right-wing government was trying to control the curriculum.

Przydacz said the reason they have not been resumed was "because we believe that (they) should be regulated by an agreement between Poland and Israel."

Antisemitism alert (thread) - Elisabeth Epps (@elisabethepps), candidate for Colorado House District 6, is causing outrage in her district after her horrific tweets mirroring white supremacist rhetoric of Jewish power and control have come back to light. pic.twitter.com/EYFVyC8kYo
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) June 20, 2022

Connecticut Senate candidate Steve Orosco comments with laughing emoji's on Jon Miller's IG post - "The biggest tragedy of the Holocaust was that George Soros survived"

One would think the biggest tragedy of the Holocaust would be the killing of 6 million Jews @orosco4senate! pic.twitter.com/uqo5BlLP00
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) June 21, 2022

Israel to Allocate $1.8 Million to Preserve Heritage of Jewish Communities From Iran and Arab Countries

The Israeli government on Sunday approved the allocation of more than $1.8 million to document and preserve the history and heritage of Jewish communities from Arab countries and the Islamic Republic of Iran.

“For me, this is my legacy. We were all in Morocco. We were all in Europe. We have all been to Iraq and Ethiopia. We are all Jews,” said Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. “This program is of very great importance – the preservation of the memory and heritage of a large part of our people.”

It is estimated that more than 850,000 Jews were expelled and displaced out of Arab lands, including Iraq, Libya, Yemen; and from Iran in the 20th century, according to Israel’s Foreign Ministry. The proposal, led by Social Equality Minister Meirav Cohen and Culture and Sport Minister Chili Tropper aims to record the stories of Arab and Iranian Jewry and their communities who immigrated in the 1950s to ensure they become an integral part of modern Jewish history and are integrated into the curriculum of the education system.

“Unfortunately, in a country where about 50 percent of its citizens are from Arab countries and Iran or descendants of immigrants, the history and heritage of their Jewish communities has not been sufficiently passed on and their legacy is not properly instilled in the public discourse,” Cohen said. “This is a different generation of pioneers, whose life experience and contribution to the Zionist enterprise is not heard enough.”

“The proposal we brought to the government is a step on the path to fix this historical injustice,” she added.

Cohen lamented that high school graduates were not familiar with terms and personalities such as the Farhud, the pogrom against Iraqi Jewry, Operation Magic Carpet, the airlift of Yemenite Jews to Israel or Jewish Yemenite poet Rabbi Shalom Shabazi.

Namaste, Shalom and #HappyInternationalYogaDay from Israel ????? ???? pic.twitter.com/84YNHnuUa1
— Arsen Ostrovsky (@Ostrov_A) June 21, 2022

Sykes-Picot slept here: History and luxury mingle at Golan battlefield-turned-hotel

There’s a wealth of history wrapped up in the meticulously restored buildings at Pereh, a boutique hotel created from a pair of former French customhouses, where the British diplomat Sir Mark Sykes and his French counterpart Francois Georges Picot negotiated and signed the 1916 treaty that partitioned the Ottoman Empire.

It was that sense of history that drew Pereh owner Leo Glaser in 2012 to the formerly dilapidated buildings sitting abandoned on Route 91, in a minefield dotted with eucalyptus trees.

“I said, Why go anywhere else,” recalled Glaser, a defense and security consultant who was looking for an investment in the Golan Heights. “This is a place I love, and the buildings really pulled me — something about their style.”

Some 15 years later — it took that long to receive zoning permissions, clear the landmines and restore and build the 27 rooms in the understated but luxurious complex — Pereh is celebrating its first year of business.

“We were a refuge during the coronavirus, a place to escape to, even with masks,” said Neri Eldar, Pereh’s general manager. “We were 100% percent booked, all the time. Israelis love being able to pop into the car for an hour and a half and come to a place where they can detach from everything else.”

Pereh, a biblical term that means wild, sprawls tidily on this two-acre corner of the southern Golan Heights, with restored suites and lofts in its pair of customhouses, a lobby situated in what was once the stable and a newly constructed building overlooking the infinity pool.

Designers Dannah Leitersdorf and Tamara Glaser-Shafran, Glaser’s daughter, remained loyal to the original lines and materials of the region wherever possible.

Ceilings and walls were stripped and often left bare, tables and benches were made from local wood, and local black basalt stone, forged in volcanic eruptions, is used throughout, with hunks carved into sinks, soap dishes and towel hooks to match the flooring.

Boulders from nearby fields were split and used in construction, and some of the garden furniture is made from the metal beds left in the Syrian bunkers on the property.