01/17 Links Pt2: Who’s Really Behind the Academic Boycott Against Israel?; The many faces of anti-Semitism ~ EoZ

From Ian:

In Secret Recording, Participants at ‘Students for Justice in Palestine’ Conference Heard Attacking America as ‘World’s Greatest Imperial Power’

In a never-before-released recording obtained by The Algemeiner of part of a closed-door anti-Zionist student conference at Virginia’s George Mason University in November, participants are heard accusing the United States — “the world’s greatest imperial power” — of enabling and perpetrating crimes in the Middle East.
The blatant anti-Americanism was voiced at the 2016 National Students for Justice in Palestine (NSJP) conference, during a panel on “Syrian-Palestinian Liberation.” Panelists included Palestinian-Syrian activist Wael Elasady, co-founder of Students United for Palestinian Equal Rights, and International Socialist Movement member Ashley Smith.
In the tape, Elasady is heard blaming US “imperialism” for facilitating the Assad regime’s alleged war crimes in Syria and for causing regional instability, which allows the world to turn a blind eye to Israel’s “ethnic cleansing of Palestine, increas[ing] its Judaization of Jerusalem and expand[ing] its settlements without repercussions.”
Smith said that while he saw the conflict in Syria as a “popular uprising of the people…for democracy, for equality, for a liberation from a tyrannical regime,” he took issue with those on the Left who viewed the struggle purely through the lens of “imposed American imperialism.”
He specifically called out activist journalist Max Blumenthal for “reversing his position” on Syria — first referring to the civil war as a “right of revolt” of the people, and then calling it a “‘color revolution’ orchestrated by the US with the project of regime change.”

Who’s Really Behind the Academic Boycott Against Israel?

The USACBI might protest that they cannot be held responsible for Al-Awda’s racism and support for violence, and it goes without saying that well-meaning supporters of academic boycotts should not be considered guilty by association. Yet the USACBI itself has demonstrated that it is, at minimum, very tolerant of extremism and hate.
Steven Salaita and Jasbir Puar continue to hold prominent positions in the organization, despite being repeatedly exposed for using classic antisemitic slurs to slander and dehumanize Israelis. As a matter of policy, the USACBI boycotts all, “academic activities and projects involving Palestinians and/or other Arabs on one side and Israelis on the other,” unless the Jewish and Israeli side agrees in advance to effectively oppose its own right to self-determination. This is not a stance an organization that is genuinely committed to justice and peace would ever take.
The USACBI cannot claim to support principles like justice, equality and non-violence while gaining significant financial benefits from what can only be described as a hate group. At a time when antisemitism, Islamophobia and other forms of racism increasingly threaten campus life, there is no place for political agendas that fan the flames of hatred and further divide our diverse communities. Al-Awda’s deep involvement in campaigns like the one that was waged against Israeli academics in the MLA is yet another reason why people of conscience should stand up for their values and reject the academic boycott.
The road to peace can only be found through building bridges of understanding and tolerance between peoples, not through further alienation and estrangement. It seems nothing could be more true and relevant in today’s Middle East.

Alan Johnson: Showing up to defend Israel’s right to exist (not lying in bed)

Why am I speaking at an academic conference on Israel’s right to exist at University College Cork (UCC) in March? After all, ‘International Law and the State of Israel: Legitimacy, Exceptionalism and Responsibility’ is the conference cancelled two years ago by Southampton University following protests from the Jewish community.
I am attending because I believe – like Marshall Brickman, Woody Allen’s co-script writer for the Oscar winning film Annie Hall – that ‘showing up is 80 per cent of life.’ Brickman added ‘Sometimes it’s easier to hide home in bed. I’ve done both.’
What does it mean to ‘hide home in bed’ when it comes to defending Israel’s right to exist in today’s intellectual culture? And what does it mean to ‘show up’?
‘Hiding in bed’ can take many forms.
It can mean creating lots of nice warm echo-chambers where Israel’s friends get together, tell each other how right they are, how perfect Israel is, and cheer each other up. Nothing wrong with that. Israel’s friends need to be heard and we all need a bit of cheer sometimes.

The many faces of anti-Semitism

It seems most Israelis do not grasp the depth of what is happening in Europe or the United States with regard to anti-Semitism.
To be sure, the Jews in Israel feel "normal," and it is hard for them to fathom that the "eternal Jew" imbued in them is the source and target of hatred. Today, though, we find ourselves in a new era, when the term "anti-Semitism" is no longer valid. The word "anti-Semitism" pertains to the time when nation-states and democracy were blossoming, when Jews were citizens as individuals but did not stand as a nation.
Anti-Semitism also took on the form of hatred toward Jews. This was influenced by Christian and Muslim theology, which created "anti-Judaism."
Now, after sociologists have proclaimed the end of the modern era, anti-Semitism appears in a form called "anti-Zionism." At the core of all three versions -- which are the same thing cloaked in different attire -- is the humiliated Jew, stripped of legitimacy, denied any justification for living according to the accepted norms of the times, attacked in a tangible way.

Our debt to Raoul Wallenberg

Most would agree that Raoul Wallenberg was one of the greatest humanitarians in history. What this young architect and makeshift diplomat achieved in less than six months is remarkable.
From the day he arrived in Budapest, on July 9, 1944, until January 17, 1945, when he was literally snatched by the Soviets, he managed to save tens of thousands of Hungarian Jews from the claws of the Nazis and their local henchmen.
He did so with courage, imagination and a sense that he had no other option.
In order to further his objective to spare as many lives as possible, he cajoled, seduced, bribed and threatened. Knowing the German affection for official paperwork and stamps, he designed colorful protective papers (Schutz-Passes) which had no juridical value but offered a certain degree of immunity to the holders, portraying them as “Swedish subjects awaiting return to Sweden.”
Wallenberg also orchestrated a vast life-saving operation, run by fellow diplomats and an army of volunteers, by establishing a great number of Swedish Safe Houses, where a crowd of refugees received food, medical care and relative protection from harassment by the Germans and their local Arrow Cross accomplices.
By the end of 1944, Soviet forces were about to finish the encirclement of Budapest and Raoul understood very well that the war was coming to an end. His main preoccupation was how to help the Jewish refugees in the aftermath, once the Soviets took the city.

Seth Frantzman: Obama: The Anti-Mandela legacy

But his initiatives, from the Cairo speech onward, are not part of a conspiracy, merely a reflection of Obama’s sense that he was selected to reform decades of failed US policies. He wanted to roll back the US hegemony that developed after the Cold War. But instead of using the good will that came of that and the inspiration many found in his words, he failed time and again. Obama was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize in 2009, yet his watch has seen wars around the world. Even as his administration ends the US is sending hundreds of Marines off to Afghanistan to continue the 15-year never-ending war. The Taliban is back.
Islamist extremism has infected more of the world. Guantanamo prison is still open. Remember how closing it was going to be the first thing Obama did? Mandela also won the Nobel Peace Prize, in 1993. He left the presidency after one term in 1999, having exerted gargantuan efforts to lead the country to multi-racial democracy and not allow chaos and violence to sink the project. His policy legacy in South Africa was mixed. He was not able to realize all the hopes of black South Africans and his political party has struggled since to aid the poor and disenfranchised who were its constituents. He failed to address the growing AIDs epidemic. He kept up relations with those like Gaddafi whose aid during the anti-Apartheid struggle he remembered. But Mandela’s message was one of modesty and real leadership.
James Reini wrote at Al-Jazeera about the passing of Obama’s presidency; “So long and thanks for all the speeches.” That’s a fitting tribute. Obama believed that words can assuage policy errors and make right every problem. This dovetails with how European leaders have confronted the problems of the past 20 years. If you just speak enough, and it sounds intelligent, then the problem will go away. Problems with immigration and failures to integrate? Give a speech.
Islamist terrorism and the creeping police state to confront it? Give speeches.
But the problems of the world require more than talk. There’s no evidence that the replacement for Obama has any sort of Mandela quality. But the problems of the world will eventually find their way to the doorstep of every country and if a Mandela is not forthcoming they may end up with a different type of transformational leader. What countries learn in the end is that they need more than words and rose-colored glasses.

Douglas Murray: Is Tolerance a One-Way Street?

When just about every other magazine in the free world fails to uphold the values of free speech and the right to caricature and offend, who could expect a group of cartoonists and writers who have already paid such a high price to keep holding the line of such freedoms single-handed?
Most of the people who said they cared about the right to say what they wanted when they wanted, were willing to walk the walk -- to walk through Paris with a pencil in the air. Or they were willing to talk the talk, proclaiming "Je Suis Charlie." But almost no one really meant it.
If President Hollande and Chancellor Merkel had really believed in standing up for freedom of expression, then instead of walking arm-in-arm through Paris together with such an inappropriate figure as Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, they would have held up covers of Charlie Hebdo and said: "This is what a free society looks like and this is what we back: everyone, political leaders, gods, prophets, the lot can be satirised, and if you do not like it then you should hop off to whatever unenlightened hell-hole you dream of."
The entire world press has internalised what happened at Charlie Hebdo and instead of standing united, has decided never to risk something like that ever happening to them again.
For the last two years, we have learned for certain that any such tolerance is a one-way street. This new submission to Islamist terrorism is possibly why, in 2016, when an athlete with no involvement in politics, religion or satire was caught doing something that might have been seen as less than fully respectful of Islam, there was no one around to defend him.

HonestReporting: Doctor Has More Sympathy for Palestinian Terrorists Than Their Victims

Dr. Robin Briant claims to have lived in the West Bank and Gaza in 2003-2004 while working for Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders/MSF). MSF consistently abuses its status as a humanitarian organization, with anti-Israel political campaigns that excuse Palestinian terrorism.
Judging by her recent New Zealand Herald op-ed, Briant’s understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is as narrow as it was some 14 years ago, as seen through MSF’s warped lens.
Briant was in Israel during the height of the Second Intifada, yet apparently was unaware of (or ignored) the countless Palestinian suicide bombings and shooting attacks against Israelis at the time that killed hundreds and injured thousands of innocent Israelis. Instead, in her role for MSF, it seems her task was to focus only on providing medical services to Palestinians who were “unable to move” and whose lives were made “miserable and dangerous” because of Israeli settlements.
Given the intense security situation at the time, it is odd that Briant fixates on the issue of settlements and how Palestinians are victims of settlements, considering the horror and trauma that Israelis were going through then. It appears that Briant has simply grabbed on to the latest stick with which to beat Israel – UN resolution 2334 – and attempted to rework it into her former experiences.
She describes the “violent” process of building those settlements:

Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists at it again

The Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists is intent on proving that the fetid intersection where the hard left and the hard right meet is anti-Semitism. They'll be hosting anti-Israel activist Alison Weir for a talk on....wait for it...pro Israel activism. Alison's appearance at the BFUU is part of a rather disturbing pattern of behavior at the fellowship, which has previously hosted holocaust denier and 9/11 truther Ken O'Keefe (We didn't know he was anti-Semitic. Really we didn't!) and Gilad Atzmon (We didn't know he was anti-Semitic! Really, we didn't!)
Alison Weir is the former editor of a Marin penny-saver, who has catapulted 2 trips to the Mid-east into a career. She is the executive director of If Americans Knew, run out of her Richmond home, and president of the Council for the National Interest
Alison Weir is a controversial figure, even among her peers. Groups as extreme as Jewish Voice for Peace and Students for Justice in Palestine have publicly distanced themselves from her. If Americans Knew has been condemned for furthering anti-Semitism by the Anti-Defamation League, Jewish Voice for Peace, and the U.S. Campaign to End the Occupation.

Claremont Colleges' Intercollegiate Media Studies Department Mocks Netanyahu, Promotes Anti-Israel Propaganda

The Intercollegiate Media Studies Department at the Claremont Colleges, a consortium of five small, private liberal arts colleges east of Los Angeles, posted the following video on its official Vimeo account.
The video mocks Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statement refuting the false claim that Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria (commonly known as the West Bank) are a threat to peace. First, the video erroneously claims that those communities are in "occupied territory." Second, it used doctored "Pallywood" images to give the false impression that Israeli "settlers" cause mayhem to supposedly innocent Palestinian-Arab individuals.
It also mocks Netanyahu's truthful assertion that Israel is a diverse country that respects the rights of all of its citizens while copying a video of Netanyahu's problematic election-day video warning about Arabs "going to the polls in droves" for which he has since apologized and recanted. The video omits his apology and insinuates that Netanyahu does possess racist tendencies toward the Arabs.
Finally, the video mocks Netanyahu's correct assertion that the Palestinian leadership does not want to see Jews living in a future Judenrein state of "Palestine." It further perpetuates the myth that Israelis committed ethnic cleansing against the Palestinian-Arab population during the Israeli War of Independence in 1948. On the contrary, most of the Palestinian-Arab refugees today fled their homes to avoid the war or were induced by Arab armies to leave their homes and come back when it defeated Israel.

JTA Misleads Readers About Keith Ellison's Anti-Semitism

The JTA's latest news story about Ellison and the allegations of anti-Semitism is misleading in a very basic way.
Some 300 Jewish community leaders have signed a letter in support of Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., who is running to serve as head of the Democratic National Committee.
About 100 rabbis are among the signatories to the letter that was issued ahead of the DNC-sponsored regional candidate forum in Phoenix on Saturday. The letter states that it is not an endorsement of Ellison for DNC chair, but rather “a call to reject the unfair and baseless accusations some have leveled at him.”
The story goes on this way largely quoting the letter and adding almost nothing to it. It does not specify who actually signed the letter or link to it. There's a very good reason for that.
The source of this "Jewish" letter is Keith for DNC. A website prepared and paid for by the campaign to make Ellison the head of the DNC. It's an open online signing setup trolling for signatures.
The JTA story functions as a press release repeating most of the letter's contents while making it seem like this was an independent initiative. No names are listed raising serious questions about whether the JTA's writer even saw such a list. The story is blatantly dishonest and it's another example of the extremists in the media promoting an extremist candidate using deceptive and dishonest tactics.
UPDATE: The JTA has updated its article/press release with several names. Most of them are anti-Israel activists, e.g. Jill Jacobs, Arthur Waskow, Sharon Brous. And there's Ilya Sheyman of MoveOn, whose tenure witnessed the group engage in a blatantly anti-Semitic campaign in defense of the Iran nuke sellout.

Blurry Lines: Anti-Zionism and antisemitism on UK campuses

As an Austrian who has worked in Israel, as well as for the UN on Palestinian rights, I always thought I was aware of the full spectrum of emotion, double-standards and the fine line between the criticism of Israel and antisemitism that usually accompany the debate on the Israel- Palestinian conflict. Yet it seems that I was wrong.
I recently moved to London to pursue postgraduate studies at University College London (UCL). Pro-Palestinian protests and demonstrations are certainly not unique to the UK and I can sympathize with them to the extent that they are conducted peacefully and call for the upholding of human rights, a stop to settlement construction or even a withdrawal from occupied territory. But these, some might say reasonable, demands, seem to be far outside the scope of campus protests.
When I wanted to attend a presentation by Hen Mazzig, a former IDF soldier who during his service had been responsible for humanitarian affairs in the West Bank, I didn’t see banners calling for the end of occupation or the construction of settlements, nor did I hear calls for the end of human rights violations. The protesters demanded a Palestine “from the river to the sea,” implicitly denying any right of existence of the Jewish state. Later, a young woman proudly faced a camera demanding that Israel cannot be allowed to exist in the 21st century.
Protesters broke into the lecture room through the windows and two Jewish students were reportedly assaulted. 30 policemen were needed to restore order. A few weeks earlier, the same society organized a discussion with Israel’s ambassador who praised Israel for its high-tech innovation and LGBT community. A Jewish student sighed and asked: “This is all wonderful, but how does that help us not being harassed [on] campus?”
These are not isolated events. Earlier last year an anti-Israel mob smashed windows at King’s College London and assaulted the organizer of an event, as well as an Israeli peace activist and leftwing politician.

The REAL Question Is: Who Benefits From The Woodchuck Chucking All That Wood? By Ali Abunimah (satire)

All of you dupes repeatedly wondering how much wood a woodchuck would chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood are falling into the trap the Elders of Zion have set for you. What you really should be asking is cui bono? Who benefits from the chucking of all that wood? If you start down that path you might reach some productive answers, instead of the useless drivel your Jewish puppetmasters want you to consume.
Think about it critically for a moment. What difference does it make to the world how much wood a woodchuck would chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? It seems a rather far-fetched scenario – one that might be entertained by students of that notorious work, the Talmud. If you want to go into the rabbit-hole of determining the quantities of arboreal material a groundhog could chuck if said mammal were possessed of the requisite capacity, you’re playing into the hands of the very forces who wish to distract you and seize control while you’re not paying attention. Be ever vigilant. Ask the important questions, such as: who stands to gain from a scenario in which woodchucks chuck whatever amount of wood they could chuck? And even more important, who stands to gain from a scenario in which blind or ignorant folks ponder the quantities of chucked wood instead of asking where or why that wood is chucked?
Exactly: you don’t like the answers any more than I. But the bitter truth remains that unless we stay alert to the kinds of manipulations our would-be masters constantly attempt to wreak upon us, we are doomed to servitude. We will end up chucking our own wood, kicking ourselves for failing to realize how unwise it was to neglect what was before us the whole time. They WANT you to think you’re being bold and courageous by inquiring how much wood a woodchuck would chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood. It makes you feel worthy. Don’t buy it. None of it.

PBS Ombudsman Calls for ‘Clarification, Correction’ Over Ben Rhodes’ False Claim That ‘Tens of Thousands’ of New Israeli Settlements Are Under Construction

A PBS news program should issue a “clarifying or correcting” statement in the wake of a claim made by a top Obama administration official during an interview last month that Israel was constructing “tens of thousands” of new settlements in the West Bank, the station’s ombudsman said on Friday.
Michael Getler was commenting on a Dec. 23 interview with Ben Rhodes — outgoing President Barack Obama’s deputy national security adviser for strategic communications — conducted by PBS “NewsHour” anchor Judy Woodruff. Getler’s attention was brought to the matter by the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA) media watchdog group, which pointed out that the total number of settlements and outposts is 228, and that no new settlements have been built in recent years.
“[I]t seems clear to me that Rhodes misspoke when he talked about thousands and tens of thousands of settlements,” Getler wrote.
In response to a query from Getler, Rhodes said, “I assume I was referring to settlers/individual settlement units, rather than settlement blocs.” In his email, Rhodes went on to describe settlement units as “housing, whereas settlements are generally used to refer to a cluster of houses (which can obviously take different forms –apartments, houses, etc).”

Another Biased Report by Fox News' Conor Powell

Fox News correspondent Conor Powell is at it again, substituting balanced reporting and informed analysis with partisan, parroted phrases and biased, unsupported assertions. Reporting on the January 15th Mideast peace conference in Paris, Powell editorialized:
Trump is an avid supporter of Israel's building settlements on Palestinian land, and he's vowed to shift the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a move that would undermine any hopes of a negotiated two-state agreement. Israeli officials are overwhelmingly excited for a Trump administration, but his policies have the potential to fracture European support for Israel, which it desperately needs.
There are several problems with this reporting:
1) By declaring the land on which Israel's settlements are built "Palestinian," Powell abandons his role as an objective journalist to side with Palestinians who view the land as rightfully theirs.

If Hamas Assaults a Journalist, Does it Even Make the News?

On. Jan. 12, 2017, Hamas, the U.S.-designated terror group that rules the Gaza Strip, assaulted an Agence France-Press (AFP) photographer and detained—at gunpoint—an Associated Press journalist. Western media outlets largely ignored the violence against members of the press.
The unidentified photographer and journalist were covering a protest in which “thousands” of Palestinians “took to the streets…to protest chronic power cuts in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip,” the AP reported (“In Rare Demonstration, Thousands Protest Power Cuts in Gaza,” Jan. 12, 2017).
Hamas blocked journalists attempting to cover the event and the AP journalist “was briefly detained at gunpoint until he handed over his mobile phones to plainclothes security men.”
The Foreign Press Association, which represents international media, reported that an AFP photographer was severely beaten in the head by Hamas members after he refused to hand over his camera.
Iyad Bozom, a Hamas spokesperson, denied that that the assault happened and that a journalist had been detained at gunpoint.
In its statement on the incident, the FPA said it “condemns this violent behavior in the strongest terms, and finds it especially shocking in light of verbal promises we have received from the Hamas officials to respect the freedom of the press. We hope that Hamas will properly investigate this incident and provide an explanation and apology for this unacceptable behavior by their forces.”

Listen - Breitbart’s Aaron Klein Calls Out ‘Fake News Media’ For Biased Reporting on Israel

Speaking on Monday’s edition of Breitbart News Daily, broadcast live on SiriusXM Patriot Channel 125 from 6AM to 9AM Eastern, Aaron Klein, Breitbart’s Jerusalem bureau chief, called out what he termed the “fake news media” for failing to report accurately on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Klein was a guest on the program, which was hosted by Breitbart London Editor-in-Chief Raheem Kassam. (h/t Yerushalimey)

Germany's top court rejects ban for 'racist and antisemitic' party

Germany's Constitutional Court on Tuesday rejected an attempt by the country's 16 federal states to ban the far-right National Democratic Party (NPD), described by the intelligence agency as racist and anti-Semitic, saying it was too weak to pose a threat.
In the closely-watched ruling, which comes amid concern over rising support for right-wing groups due to resentment about an influx of migrants, court President Andreas Vosskuhle said, however, that the party was anti-constitutional in nature.
"The NPD pursues anti-constitutional goals but at the moment there is an insufficient weight of evidence to make it appear possible that their behavior will result in success," said Vosskuhle.
The federal states started exploring a legal ban after the chance discovery of the National Socialist Underground (NSU) in 2011, blamed for killing nine immigrants and a police woman between 2000 and 2007.

Amazon employee fired for ‘Uncle Adolf’ note

An Amazon employee was fired after allegedly leaving a note in a package for a Jewish customer that read: “Greetings from Uncle Adolf.”
The Amazon employee correctly guessed that the woman, who purchased a toy for her niece, was Jewish based on her last name, the Daily Mail reported on Monday. The customer was not named in the article.
“Adolf” presumably referred to Adolf Hitler.
The British customer told the Daily Mail that the note found in the Amazon packaging upset her so much that she had to take two days off from work.
The Metropolitan Police are investigating the incident as a hate crime, according to the Daily Mail.

Israeli device to prevent GPS disruptions hits the market

Aiming to curb situations in which civilian vehicles are stuck “off the grid,” a Caesarea- based firm has begun shipments of a system that prevents disruptions to GPS.
The cybersecurity company GPSdome Ltd. is marketing a miniature “GPS anti-jammer,” a pocket-sized gadget that protects GPSbased systems from disturbances at a more affordable cost than comparable military appliances, according to the firm. The product works to counteract the effects of jamming devices – radio frequency transmitters that deliberately block communications like GPS.
“Our affordable GPS anti-jammer has been developed for civilian applications, which cannot afford paying over $30,000 for the existing military-oriented anti-jammers,” said GPSdome CEO Ehud Sharar.
Jamming has become particularly problematic due to the increasing prevalence of low-cost GPS jammers that can be purchased online for just $30, the company explained. While the drivers using these jammers may do so in order to prevent cars from recording their travels, the impact radius of these devices can reach hundreds of meters and potentially hamper critical communications and infrastructural systems, the firm said.

French godfather of electronic music to play at Masada

It’s been one year since the godfather of electronic music, Jean-Michel Jarre, first visited Israel and partied in Jerusalem. Now he’s set April 7 as the date for his first concert in the country.
The 67-year-old French performer is best known for his groundbreaking, electronic music live shows featuring fireworks, his famed laser harp, and videos projected on the sides of buildings.
This time he will be performing outdoors at the foot of Masada, where other performers and the Israeli Opera have staged concerts and shows.
As a UNESCO goodwill ambassador of ecology and the environment, Jarre said the concert will be held to raise awareness of the dire straits of the nearby Dead Sea.
Jarre has set four Guiness World Book records for staging the world’s largest concerts at historical landmarks. He has hosted a total of millions at his various outdoor performances — in China, where he was the first-ever Western performer; at the pyramids in Egypt; and on a series of barges on London’s Thames River.
His plans are grand for the Masada show, and his international team has been working with a local, Israeli crew to find the right spot for building the 3,280-square-foot stage that will have a futuristic ambiance, with the appearance of a landing strip and hub, and with separate stages for seating and dancing.
Jarre isn’t the only international artist who has expressed interest in performing in the hilly expanses of Israel’s desert region.

Syrian woman gives birth to healthy girl in Israeli hospital

A 29-year-old Syrian woman gave birth to a healthy girl last weekend in Ziv Medical Center in Safed, and in gratitude to the State of Israel, named the baby Sarah.
The woman came from a village around which every hospital and clinic had been destroyed in the long civil war. Nearing the end of her pregnancy, she made the dangerous trek to the Israeli border, and was brought to the hospital by the Israel Defense Forces, where she gave birth by caesarian section.
"When my husband heard I insisted on going to the border to give birth in a hospital, he asked that if she was born healthy, to give her a Jewish name in gratitude to Israel," she said.
The woman said she was grateful to the Israeli army for bringing her to Ziv, and to the medical staff there who delivered her baby. She asked to be allowed to return quickly to her home and her relatives, despite the difficult conditions there caused by the civil war and the winter weather.

Memorial to Alberto Nisman to be consecrated in northern Israel

A monument to assassinated Argentinian Jewish prosecutor Alberto Nisman will be erected in the northern town of Nahariya on Wednesday, on the second anniversary of his death.
Nisman was found dead on January 18, 2015, just days after accusing then-president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner of covering up Iran’s role in the 1994 bombing of the the AMIA Jewish center in Buenos Aires.
The bombing of the AMIA center killed 85 people and wounded hundreds of others. Iran has denied any connection with the attack and declined to turn over the suspects in the case.
The country’s top criminal tribunal accepted a request by a delegation of Argentine Jewish associations to reexamine the charge Nisman made on January 14, 2015, against Kirchner; her foreign minister, Hector Timerman; and other officials in her government.
Nisman, who had traced the AMIA bombing to orders issued in Iran, and identified the suicide bomber as a Hezbollah member, was found dead with a gunshot to the head four days later. Authorities never determined if he was killed or took his own life.

IDF Marks Martin Luther King Day With Video of Soldiers Spreading Civil Rights Leader’s Message of Compassion

In honor of Martin Luther King Day on Monday, the Israel Defense Forces produced a video clip reiterating the assassinated civil rights leader’s message of choosing compassion over hatred.
In the clip, seven IDF soldiers, each in turn, says part of the following: “Dr Martin Luther King once said, ‘Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness. This is the judgement. Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?'”

Though King never visited the Jewish state he once said in an interview: “The whole world must see that Israel must exist and has the right to exist, and is one of the great outposts of democracy in the world.”
A street in Jerusalem’s German Colony neighborhood is named after King.

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