12/27 Links Pt2: UN vote tops Wiesenthal list of top 10 antisemitic, anti-Israel cases in 2016 ~ EoZ

From Ian:

UN vote tops Wiesenthal list of top 10 antisemitic, anti-Israel cases in 2016

The US abstention from a recent vote against Israeli settlements at the UN Security Council topped the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s annual list released Tuesday of the 10 worst outbreaks of Jew-hatred and anti-Israel incidents.
The Jewish human rights organization ranked the Obama administration’s move as the top case, charging that it erased Jewish history.
“The most stunning 2016 UN attack on Israel was facilitated by President [Barack] Obama when the US abstained on a UN Security Council resolution condemning Israel for settlement construction. It reversed decades-long US policy of vetoing such diplomatic moves against the Jewish State,” wrote the center.
The organization added: “It also urges UN members ‘to distinguish, in their relevant dealings, between the territory of the State of Israel and the territories occupied since 1967,’ effectively endorsing BDS.”
UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn along with former British politician Baroness Jenny Tonge ranked second.
According to the ranking, “antisemitism in the [Labour] party has greatly escalated. Corbyn, who previously called Hamas and Hezbollah his ‘friends,’ also promoted his strategy adviser Seumas Milne, a Hamas proponent.”

Special Report Fox News Trump Dec 26 - 'This Was a US Operation All the Way' - Krauthammer on UN Israel Resolution
The United Nations Gets KRAUTHAMMERED: Trump Should ‘Turn It Into Condos

Michael Lumish: Question of the Whenever # 5: Why Support the Regressive-Left?

By what argument can regressives claim to stand for universal human rights when they honestly do not care that women are treated like chattel throughout the Islamic world and forced to hide themselves in black potato sacks?
By what argument can regressives claim to stand for universal human rights when they think that the Christian genocide under Arab-Muslim imperial rule is just dandy?
If the regressive-left does not stand for universal human rights than it stands for nothing and is, therefore, undeserving of support.
And, needless to say, no Jew with even the slightest whit of self-respect would support a political movement that is more than happy to undermine the well-being of Jews everywhere, through its willingness - if not eagerness - to throw Israel to the wolves, as we just saw with the recent UNSC resolution.
The so-called "progressive-left" has thrown its alleged values into the garbage entirely and, thereby, transmogrified itself into the regressive-left.

The UN Declares War on Judeo-Christian Civilization

How is it that Western jurisprudence, created after the Second World War to prevent more crimes against humanity, is now being used to perpetuate more crimes and against democracies?
It is a dreadful manipulation to try erase all Jewish and Christian history, to make believe that all the world was originally and forever only Islamic. That is what a jihad looks like. It is not just orange jumpsuits, beheadings and slavery. If one can erase and rewrite history, one can redirect the future.
If Palestinian men beat their wives, it's Israel's fault, argued UN expert Dubravka Simonovic with a straight face.
Last month, the President of the UN General Assembly sported the famous keffiyah scarf, a symbol of the "Palestinian resistance" (read terrorism). This is simply the continuation of the cultural obliteration of Israel, which is supposed to justify next its physical obliteration.
The UN's war on the Israel's Jews is, at heart, a war against the West. The UN and its backers are briskly paving the way for the European Caliphate.
I just find it sad.

Terror cell planning attacks against IDF soldiers busted by Shin Bet, police

A terror cell planning attacks against IDF soldiers in southern Israel was arrested in November in a joint police and Shin Bet operation, it was cleared for release on Tuesday.
According to the Shin Bet, the terror cell, whose members are Israeli civilians, had plotted to carry out a terror attack against IDF soldiers in the Negev in retaliation for Israel’s decision to outlaw the Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement.
Two of the suspects, 37 year old Muhammed Masri of Beersheba and 26 year old Abd Allah Abu Ayash from Kasifa are currently under Shin Bet arrest, accused of plotting to attack soldiers in either Dimona, Arad or the Nevatim airbase.
The two arrested suspects The two arrested suspects
According to the Shin Bet, Masri, the leader of the cell, had been released from prison in 2013 after spending 12 years behind bars for planning an attack on a Herzliya wedding hall. During his time in prison he made ties with imprisoned Hamas operatives from both the Gaza Strip and West Bank, including senior Hamas official Yahya Sinwar.
Following his release, Masri joined the Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement and employed Ayash at his store in Beersheba.

Hamas Engineer assassinated in Tunisia working to attack Israeli gas platforms

According to new reports, Zawari may have been even more important to Hamas and Hezbollah than previously thought, and may have been heading up a project to use underwater drones to attack Israeli offshore natural gas platforms.
Israel in recent years has discovered and is developing enormous natural gas reserves, and has installed air defenses around platforms, including a sea-based Iron Dome system.
Ynet News reports:
Chief Hamas engineer Mohammad al-Zawahri, who was killed in Tunisia earlier this month, was reportedly working on drones and “remote-controlled submarines” for the Islamic terror group. A TV station in Tunisia recently aired footage allegedly presenting these projects.
Talk show Labes aired photos from al-Zawahri’s lab with host Rashed al-Hiyari claiming one of them shows remote-controlled “submarines” developed by the Tunisia engineer.
“Israel knew he was a real threat and that is why it assassinated him,” al-Hiyari said of al-Zawahri. “There was a failed attempt to assassinate him several months ago as well.”
AL Monitor further reports:
Alzoari was an aeronautical engineer who specialized in the manufacture of drones. For the last few years, he was employed by Hamas and Hezbollah. According to sources in Tunis, he also designed an unmanned naval vessel, apparently submersible and capable of attacking targets at sea.

Wait, I’m No Longer The Most Disloyal Lawmaker in Israel? (satire)

What the Hell?
Listen, I take pride in my work. Being the most disloyal lawmaker in “Israel” is not easy. And as a woman you have to work twice as hard to be recognized as number one when it comes to seeking the destruction of Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people. But through hard work and sacrifices (don’t get me started about dating), I have succeeded against all odds.
So now some man comes along and smuggles coded messages, SIM cards and cellphones to Palestinian prisoners who kidnapped and murdered Israeli soldiers? Yeah….Basel Ghattas. Arab Lawmaker from the Balad Party. You know, the Party that I put on the map through such achievements as the time I shoved an Usher in the Knesset, refusing to sing HaTikva, and referring to ‘Israel’ in quotation marks.
But that’s just typical of the glass ceiling that exists for women. I have been in the trenches trashing ‘Israel’ for years, and this upstart comes along and Mansplains his way to being the quote unquote most traitorous lawmaker in quote unquote Israel…….I’m afraid that some people are just afraid to see a woman being named the most disloyal Member of Knesset.
You don’t understand. I bashed ‘Israel’. At a Kristallnacht Ceremony. In Holland.

On Christmas, police (briefly) return Jerusalem church desecrated by Palestinians

Israeli police on Sunday, Christmas Day, expelled Palestinian men and their guard dogs from the premises of an East Jerusalem church they had taken over by force and desecrated.
The police were seeking to return the property to the pastor of the Jerusalem Living Bread Church, Karen Dunham. But the Palestinians, who claim the building is theirs, later returned to the church with a restraining order for the pastor, and the dispute is set to go to court on Tuesday.
Dunham told The Times of Israel on Monday that she and her staff have faced a campaign of violence and intimidation for more than two and half years from a group of men who claim ownership over the building.
In late November, while the church was empty during the day, some of these men broke in; changed the locks; stole valuables, including eight laptops, three desktops and all the cash; and trashed the building. When Dunham returned the next day, she found some of the church’s belongings burning in a dumpster outside.

After years of conflict, Egypt eases Gaza blockade

For most of the past decade, Egypt has been a quiet partner with Israel in a blockade on the Gaza Strip, introduced after a violent takeover by the Hamas terrorist organization. But after a three-year crackdown, there are signs that Egypt is easing the pressure in a step to repair its shattered ties with the Palestinian group.
In recent months, Cairo has increased the number of people allowed to exit through the Rafah border crossing, Gaza’s main gateway to the outside world. It also has begun to allow Gaza to import commercial goods through Rafah for the first time since 2013 and sent public signals that it is interested in improving relations.
“There is a ball of hope that was thrown by Egypt,” said Ashraf Jomaa, a Gaza community leader who has taken part in recent meetings with Egyptian officials to discuss the changing ties. “The question is how we, the Palestinians, shall catch that ball and develop the hope.”
The changes, while still in their infancy, mark a significant departure from what has been a tough Egyptian crackdown since the military ousted its then-president, Mohammed Morsi, in 2013. Hamas, an offshoot of Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood, enjoyed close relations with him and quickly fell into disfavor with the new government.

IsraellyCool: The Biggest Mistakes Pro-Israel Activists Make Ever: Love Thy Enemy

The only effective advocacy is at least somewhat confrontational in nature.
SJP is disruptive, and it works, because they appear passionate about rebuking the oppressor at every opportunity so their cause looks more legit. (That being said, I’m an advocate of free speech and do not support disrupting any Palestinian talks, rather I am all for challenging speakers in the question period).
Just as the West betraying Israel at the UN hasn’t stopped the surge of terror attacks that has plagued the region, so too does trying to “make nice” with SJP and the haters, and diluting our advocacy to avoid offending them, only weaken our case. We need to be strong, resolute, and unafraid of offending – because any good pro-Israel argument will cause the Palestinian side to act offended to encourage us to retreat, or to try to shut us down.
Remember this is an Eastern conflict and the only way to solve it is by Eastern methods. so if SJP doesn’t feel threatened and offended, it isn’t good advocacy.
Stay tuned for the next installment on the common misconception on campus that compromise will win the hearts of the next generation.

Unprecedented Increase in EU Funding to Leading Anti-Israel French NGO with Ties to the PFLP Terrorist Organization

FIDH Ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terrorist organization:

In August 2016, Shawan Jabarin (General Director of Al-Haq) was elected as FIDH’s Secretary General. Jabarin has been denied exit visas for Israel and Jordan on several occasions due to his alleged ties to the PFLP terrorist group. (See a translation of the decision by the Israeli High Court of Justice, June 20, 2007.)

Raji Sourani, director of FIDH member organization Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), admitted to having been convicted of membership in the PFLP.

The PFLP is designated a terrorist organization by the EU.

According to the exclusion criteria applicable for participation in procurement procedures of the EU’s Financial Regulation, “Candidates or tenderers shall be excluded from participation in procurement procedures if… they or persons having powers of representation, decision-making or control over them have been the subject of a judgment which has the force of res judicata for fraud, corruption, involvement in a criminal organisation, money laundering or any other illegal activity, where such illegal activity is detrimental to the Union’s financial interests.” Cases of participation in a criminal organization include “cases of terrorist offences, offences linked to terrorist activities, and inciting, aiding, abetting or attempting to commit such offences.” (emphases added).

CAIR LA Chief Tweets, Deletes Wish for 2x Death in Russian Crash

Hussam Ayloush, the executive director of the Los Angeles chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which purports to speak for American Muslims, spent part of Christmas Day tweeting that he had hoped more people had died in the previous night’s Russian plane crash into the Black Sea.
He then backpedaled on his offensive comments.
Ayloush, whose Twitter bio lists him as a “Human rights and civil rights activist. Community organizer. CAIR-LA Exec Director. Son. Husband Father of 5,” tweeted Sunday morning, “I’m sad about the crashed Russian military jet. The TU-154 could have carried up to 180 military personnel instead of just 92!”

The Worst BDS Fails of 2016

Lack of Transparency: HonestReporting's 8 Categories of Media Bias, Video#8 of 8

HonestReporting’s “Red Lines: The Eight Categories of Media Bias” is a new video series based on our latest E-book. In this series, prominent journalists and media analysts discuss the ways news is often misreported.
In this eighth segment, author and former journalist for AP, NPR & CBC Mark Lavie, author and former senior editor for Haaretz Adi Schwartz, the Times of Israel's Haviv Rettig Gur and Michelle Chabin with USA Today, NY Jewish Week, and Religion News Service give their insights into why journalists sometimes lack transparency in their work.

U.N. Reveals Obama's Big Giveaways For The Iranians

The Obama administration has been pressed about these secret side agreements before, but has denied it.
"Iran’s nuclear commitments under the JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action] have not changed. There’s been no moving of the goal post, as it were," State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a September press briefing. "The joint commission has always been intended to address implementation issues when they arise. That’s the whole purpose for it. And as I said, the work of the joint commission, as stipulated in the agreement itself, is to be confidential."
But the IAEA has confirmed that the administration is lying, and it's only going to get worse; National Review's Andrew McCarthy has noted that the nuclear exemptions will be granted for perpetuity, and "more exemptions" are on the way.
"Under the JCPOA, Iran gets paid, gets to keep materially supporting terrorism, gets to build its industrial-size nuclear program, gets to develop ballistic missiles in anticipation of loading nuclear payloads, gets to narrow the 'breakout' time necessary to convert to weapons-grade the uranium that Obama is helping them enrich, and gets to run roughshod over any terms it finds too inconvenient," wrote McCarthy. "What does the United States get? A devious, enemy-empowering, post-American president waving around his legacy 'agreement' as the international press swoons, the armed forces of the jihadist regime menace the United States Navy, and the world edges closer to war."

Iran’s Currency Hits Record Low Ahead of Trump Inauguration

Iran's rial hit a record low against the U.S. dollar on Monday in a sign of concern about the country's ability to attract foreign money after U.S. president-elect Donald Trump takes office.
The rial was quoted in the free market at 41,500 to the dollar, weakening from around 41,250 on Sunday and 35,570 in mid-September. Before this month, the record low was about 40,000, hit in late 2012, traders said.
Economists said there were several reasons for the slide, including the dollar's strength against many currencies in the last few weeks, and uncertainty before next year's presidential elections in Iran.
But they said Trump's election in November was a major factor. He has said he will scrap the deal between Iran and world powers that imposed curbs on Tehran's nuclear projects and lifted sanctions on the Iranian economy in January this year.
This would hinder Tehran's efforts to attract tens of billions of dollars of foreign funds to help modernize its economy. Inflows since January have been smaller than the government expected, partly because big international banks fear running into U.S. legal trouble if they deal with Iran.
Many analysts think Washington will stop short of abolishing the deal, but it may apply remaining sanctions on Tehran more stringently. At the very least, uncertainty over Washington's intentions could make companies around the world more cautious about trading with or investing in Iran.

Carter Insists ISIS “Legitimate Political Actor” (satire)

With Western governments weighing their response to the meteoric rise of ISIS, former US President Jimmy Carter insisted the self-proclaimed Caliphate be recognized as a “legitimate political actor” and treated as a partner for negotiations.
“Now I might not agree with everything they do, but I think we should acknowledge that they took all that territory fair and square,” commented the former US President. “No sense in us being all sore about it – the only way to get them to stop the killing is to recognize them as the responsible national government that they are.”
Carter, who previously met with the leader of the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, penned the column after what he termed a “pleasant and cordial” meeting with the Caliphate’s leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Carter said the Caliphate – which spans portions of Iraq and Syria – should be admitted as the 194th UN member state. Giving the new country a seat on the Human Rights Council, Carter added, would force them to “think long and hard about some of their own questionable practices.”
“The Caliphate is a young state, and we all do some rash and silly things in our youth,” Carter wrote, referring to a series of beheadings carried out by ISIS in recent weeks. “Gosh, I remember my younger days. Now I didn’t go around cutting dang heads off, but I can’t deny having some impure thoughts on more than one occasion, about women who weren’t even my wife.”
“If we treat the ‘Islamic State’ with respect and dignity and they still go around massacring minorities, well, then in all honestly we should sit down and have a peaceful discussion. I suppose I’d tell them, “Gentlemen, we expected better of you and you sure darn disappointed us.”

Turkey Arrests Newspaper Cafeteria Cook for Refusing to Make Erdogan Tea

Şenol Buran, the cook in charge of the cafeteria at Turkish newspaper Cumhuriyet, was arrested this week after telling a police officer he would refuse to serve tea to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan if he ever visited the newspaper’s offices.
“Insulting the president” is a crime in Turkey, as per Article 299 of the Turkish penal code. According to a report from the newspaper itself, the criminal infraction occurred during a visit Erdogan made to Istanbul on December 24.
The presidential motorcade, in town for the national Foreign Economic Relations Council’s General Meeting, triggered a chaotic traffic situation for Buran, who was late for work.

Google tweaks search algorithm that yielded Holocaust denial sites

Search engine giant Google has reportedly altered an algorithm to prevent Holocaust denial websites from appearing in search results after weeks of controversy over the issue.
While Google allegedly made a previous tweak to bump down white supremacist websites and other outlets that claimed the Holocaust did not happen, the new fix apparently has removed such results altogether, technology outlet Digital Trends reported over the weekend.
“We recently made improvements to our algorithm that will help surface more high quality, credible content on the web,” Digital Trends quoted a Google spokesperson as saying. “We’ll continue to change our algorithms over time in order to tackle these challenges.”
“Judging which pages on the web best answer a query is a challenging problem and we don’t always get it right,” the Google representative said, further explaining that the company had made "improvements" to the algorithm when confronting "non-authoritative information."
However, the effectiveness and longevity of the change remains unclear.

Trump family faces antisemitic backlash following Hanukka tweets

President-elect Donald Trump was bombarded with antisemitic tweets from his social media followers shortly after he tweeted "Happy Hanukkah" alongside a picture of a menorah on the first night of the Jewish festival of lights.
Some social media users were angered, claiming that they had voted for the Trump camp on the basis that he was a good Christian, and they "don't support satanic Jews," while others accused him of being a "sellout."
Some Jewish tweeters took to correcting Trump, who posted a picture of eight lit candles on the first night of Hanukka. One Twitter user claimed that lighting all the candles on the first day showed how little patience Trump has.
The feed soon turned into a fight between those who support Trump and those who don't.
His followers also took to attacking Trump's son Donald J. Trump Jr. who also tweeted Happy Hanukka with a similar pic.
One Twitter user who uses the handle name "Donald J. Trump" responded to Trump Jr., stating his belief that Jews control the media.
Many in the social media world plainly responded with a Merry Christmas. Another asked if the Trumps were Jewish now.

Vandals damage Arizona synagogue menorah and Holocaust memorial

A large menorah and a Holocaust memorial were damaged at a synagogue in Sun City, Arizona.
The attack on Temple Beth Shalom is being investigated by the local sheriff’s office, though it has not been classified a hate crime, local media is reporting. The damage was discovered on Sunday morning, the first day of Hanukkah. The synagogue had celebrated a bar mitzvah the day before, the NBC affiliate Channel 12 News reported.
The copper and metal menorah has been in front of the synagogue for more than 30 years.
Tire tracks in the front yard of the synagogue indicate that someone smashed a truck into the menorah; it also appears that someone then tried to pull it down, according to reports. It will cost about $7,000 to fix the menorah, synagogue Rabbi Sheldon Moss told local station KPHO.
A Holocaust memorial on the synagogue’s campus also was damaged.

French Anne Frank school hit with anti-Semitic graffiti

Anti-Jewish and anti-Roma graffiti were drawn in black marker on the front gate and the mailbox of a suburban Paris Jewish school named for teenage Holocaust diarist Anne Frank.
The graffiti on the Anne Frank School in Montreuil, an eastern suburb of Paris, was discovered on Sunday afternoon, the French daily Le Parisian reported.
The graffiti included swastikas and Stars of David with the word Jude, as well as statements such as “Jews forbidden” and “Filthy Jewish and Romani people.”
More graffiti was later found on other outside walls of the building.
There were no security cameras in place to help identify the vandals.
Police have launched an investigation into the incident. Municipal workers on Monday painted over the graffiti. Local officials condemned the incident.
“The inscriptions on Montreuil’s Anne Frank School are despicable. These actions will not remain unpunished,” France’s education minister Najat Vallaud-Belkacem said in a tweet.

Folding e-scooter is shaping the future of urban transport

Behind the buzz around driverless vehicles, folding cars, electric cars and ride-sharing apps, two Israeli men separately sensed the need for a light urban mobility alternative: a folding electric scooter.
Inokim scooters, launched in 2009 under the brand MyWay, were the green brainchild of award-winning product designer-engineer-entrepreneur Nimrod Riccardo Sapir.
Kfir Ben-Shooshan read about Sapir’s 12-kilo (26-pound) folding e-scooters on a trip home to Israel from Miami, where he’d settled after his military service 10 years before and had built a chain of clothing stores. On his business travels, he experienced terrible traffic tie-ups getting from airports to city centers, and he felt Sapir’s invention could provide an answer.
After contacting Sapir, Ben-Shooshan learned that the scooter’s Chinese manufacturer-marketer already had a short-term contract with a seller in Israel. But sales were sluggish.
Two years ago, when Ben-Shooshan was about to take his girlfriend on vacation to Thailand to propose marriage, the Chinese company sent him a business proposal. From Thailand, he flew to Shanghai for 24 hours and clinched a contract.

How One Israeli Tech Start-Up Could Change Snapchat As We Know It

Snapchat, a California-based messaging app platform, is set to buy Israeli augmented reality start-up Cimagine Media.
Cimagine created a technology — True Markerless Augmented Reality — that allows users to preview furniture and appliances they wish to purchase by virtually placing the objects in their homes via a mobile app. Essentially, users get an in-home prospective view of the product before making their decision.
The Israeli tech start-up’s price is expected to be as high as $30-40 million, and it would be Snapchat’s first acquisition in Israel, Reuters reports. Cimagine will likely become Snapchat’s research and development center in Israel, with projections of rapid expansion in its workforce from its current level of 20 employees. Experts note that while Cimagine has impressive technologies, it is likely their employees’ skills that drew Snapchat’s attention.
Cimagine brings partnerships with some big brand names, including: Coca-Cola, Shop Direct, and John Lewis.

13 stories from ISRAEL21c that blew your socks off in 2016

There’s no doubt that 2016 has been a momentous year full of unexpected international events ranging from Brexit to the recent Trump win. It was also the year that the United Nations passed a resolution denying the connection of the Jews to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
Amidst all this change and uncertainty, the work of ISRAEL21c is more vital than ever, and over the last year we have stepped up our initiatives, sharing stories and content that show people everywhere the incredible and inspiring things originating from Israel to help the world.
This year, we launched a new concept at ISRAEL21c: online exhibitions that readers can either view online or download and print to display anywhere. We ran two exhibitions, “18 Ways Israel is Changing the World” and “My Name is Israel,” which focused on Israeli aid overseas. They were immensely popular and have been staged by hundreds of people all over the world.

Syrian refugee creates website to thank Israelis

9 of the best Israeli snacks

9 of the most beautiful sukkot in Israel

My name is Israel exhibition

Cartilage regeneration on the way for knees

18 ways Israel is changing the world

Solar powered desalination cuts energy costs

Israelis making a mark on the NY tech scene

9 Israeli startups funded by celebrities

The small Israeli village where everyone’s a doctor

13 best Israeli gadgets for under $100 to give this holiday

7 food additives that raise the risk of autoimmune disease

Take a trip around Israel with our video postcard

We have lots of ideas, but we need more resources to be even more effective. Please donate today to help get the message out and to help defend Israel.