05/03 Links Pt2: Abbas To Trump: 'Palestinian' Children Raised In 'Culture Of Peace'; Media Goes Kumbaya For Hamas ~ EoZ

From Ian:

Abbas To Trump: 'Palestinian' Children Raised In 'Culture Of Peace' (not satire)

“We are raising our youth, our children, our grandchildren on a culture of peace,” said Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday, during a joint presentation alongside President Donald Trump.
Watch the segment below, or watch the entire event here.
Speaking Arabic due to insufficient fluency in English, Abbas described the “Palestinian people” as something other than regional Levantine Arabs. “Palestinians,” he continued, constitute a distinct nation entitled to self-determination and independence via statehood on Israeli and disputed territories.
Abbas spoke of “occupation” while describing “Palestinians” as a people:
“Mr. President, it’s about time for Israel to end its occupation of our people and of our land. After fifty years, we are the only remaining people in the world that still live under occupation. We are aspiring and want to achieve our freedom, our dignity, and our right to self-determination and we also want for Israel to recognize the Palestinian state just as the Palestinian people recognize the state of Israel.”
A future “Palestinian” state, said Abbas, must be built upon disputed territories east of the 1949 Armistice Lines, which he referred to as “the border of 1967.” Its future capital city, he added, must be “East Jerusalem” in accordance with the “two-state solution.”
Abbas described “Palestinians” as “suffering,” later attempting to link Islam with Judaism and Christianity via grouping of “the three great monotheistic religions.”
Islamic terrorist groups such as the Islamic State (ISIS), said Abbas, have nothing to do with “noble religion” of Islam.

10 Things You Need To Know About Mahmoud Abbas

Donald Trump is hosting Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas today, in the Palestinian leader’s first official visit to the White House under the new administration. In honor of the meeting, we collected a number of important facts on the work of the PA Chairman in the past and present. The following facts, should they arise during the meeting, will likely cause a great deal of discomfort on the Palestinian side.
1. Mahmoud Abbas was an active terrorist.
Abbas was one of the planners and primary funders of the massacre of 11 Israeli Olympic athletes in Munich 1972. One of the planners of the horrific slaughter, Abu Daoud, testified that Abbas was responsible for funding the massacre. Not only does the Palestinian leader not regret his role in the murder of the Israeli athletes — he brags about it. Last September, the official Facebook page of the Fatah movement, headed by Mahmoud Abbas, described the murderous attack as an “heroic operation”, and described it as a demonstration of “the meaning of the courage and power of the Palestinian resistance fighter and his self-sacrifice for the homeland and for the cause.”
3. Abbas is a Holocaust denier.
In his doctorate, called The Other Side: The Secret Ties Between the Nazis and Zionism (Arabic), Abbas questions the historical truth of six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust. He noted in his thesis that “there are rumors” that the number of victims reached six million. However, Abbas claims, no-one can confirm this number: “The number of Jewish victims might be six million, and it might be much smaller, perhaps even less than a million.”
Furthermore, Abbas is deeply invested in conspiracy theories about an alleged Zionist-Nazi collaboration, and writes that the heads of the Zionist movement “granted legitimacy to every racist in the world, and especially Hitler, to do as they wish with the Jews in their power with the long-term aim of those Jews immigrating to Palestine.”
It should be noted that it was Haj Amin al-Husseini, considered the leader of the Arabs of the Land of Israel in WWII, who closely collaborated with Hitler — with the aim of exterminating the Jewish population in the Land of Israel and throughout the Middle East. These solid facts do not of course appear in Abbas’s false doctorate.

Survivors' film on Tel Aviv suicide bombing takes on radical Islam

“Thank you for joining us as we travel with Jack Baxter, Joshua Faudem and their crew on a journey that began for all of the wrong reasons, with a suicide bomb at Mike’s Place in Tel Aviv almost exactly 14 years ago,” Felice Friedson, the CEO of The Media Line and co-producer of The Last Sermon – a documentary in-progress and sequel to the 2005 Blues by the Beach, a film about the Mike’s Place bombing — said to a crowd of Israelis, Palestinians and Americans gathered in Jerusalem. Sitting with Baxter, Faudem and Friedson was producer Will Keenan.
The guests at the town hall discussion, which was filmed for inclusion in the movie, discussed the question of religion and violence and offered perceptions that spanned the breadth of society itself. The movie is named for the Prophet Mohammed’s last sermon, spoken in 632 C.E., which Sheikh Maher Assaf, a religious scholar and preacher, read at the event. “Prophet Mohammed, peace be upon him says, ‘All you people, your God is one,’” the sheikh read. “He is the God of Muslims, the God of Jews, and the God of Christians and the God of Druse, and the God of atheists, the God of the world, of animals and human beings, the God of the sun and the moon, the God of everything in creation. Your father is one. We all came from one father and one mother.”
The sheikh, who needed an Israeli permit in order to attend the event in Jerusalem, then chanted the verses in the traditional Qur’anic reading, called tajwid.
“Religion and politics have been mixed together,” the sheikh said, speaking through a translator. “This dangerous cocktail has led to a dangerous interpretation of the religion. We are all called to have a new reading of religion, not just for Islam, and to remove the interpretations emanating from hatred.”

What Being A Medic In Israel Taught Me About Zionism Being Pushed Out Of Feminism

For me, feminism is the belief that women are deserving of equal rights in all areas. It has always been a way of life. I was fortunate enough to grow up as a millennial in New York, where I rarely felt sexism or limitations because of my sex.
It wasn’t until I entered graduate school that I realized people would challenge my skill and credentials because I am a woman. Throughout dental school, I encountered patients and acquaintances who questioned whether I was as qualified as my male counterparts. This was shocking, but it only made me more committed to feminism and making sure women never felt limited because of their sex.
However, my relationship with the feminist movement changed when I read an interview in The Nation with Linda Sarsour, one of the most prominent leaders of the landmark Women's March. The interview questioned whether Zionists (those who believe in the right of Israel to exist as a Jewish state) are welcome in the modern-day feminist movement. In the interview, Sarsour said, “It just doesn’t make any sense for someone to say, ‘Is there room for people who support the state of Israel and do not criticize it in the movement?’ There can’t be in feminism.”
Sarsour’s interview with The Nation was in response to an op-ed in the New York Times, written by Emily Shire [Editor's Note: Shire is the politics editor at Bustle]. Her piece challenged the platform form for the International Women's Strike, which included calling for the “decolonization of Palestine” without any recognition of the state of Israel. It also pointed out that the strike was introduced in a piece written in The Guardian authored by eight women, including Rasmea Yousef Odeh. Odeh was a member of Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which the State Department recognized as a terrorist group, and was convicted for her involvement in a 1969 terror attack that killed two Hebrew University students.

Ronn Torossian: Why Is a New York State Non-Profit Hosting Linda Sarsour?

In New York, state agencies cannot do business with any institution or company that supports the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel. As New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has said, “If you boycott Israel, New York will boycott you.”
So why has a New York state non-profit — the Henry Street Settlement — announced that Linda Sarsour will speak at its annual Lillian Wald Symposium on Tuesday, May 16.
Founded in 1893 by social work and public health pioneer Lillian Wald, and located on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, the Henry Street Settlement delivers a wide range of social services, arts and health care programs to more than 60,000 New Yorkers each year. Major donors to Henry Street include the New York City Council, New York State Assembly, JP Morgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, American Express and Citibank.
Linda Sarsour is, of course, an anti-Israel, pro-BDS activist. Sarsour has said that Zionists cannot be feminists, and is an open opponent of the State of Israel.
As Haaretz has reported:
Sarsour’s history of criticizing Israel and Muslims who cooperate with Israel-related organizations dates back years. In 2015, shortly after the Shalom Hartman Institute created the Muslim Leadership Initiative … Sarsour tweeted her opposition.
Furthermore, as I’ve previously written, Sarsour has also noted that she “believes in a one-state solution” (which ultimately means the end of Israel), and has said that “nothing is creepier than Zionism.” Furthermore, Sarsour has advocated violence against Israeli soldiers. She once posted a photo of a Palestinian throwing a rock at Israeli soldiers, and labeled it “the definition of courage.”

DNC Quiet on Vice Chair’s Full-Throated Defense of Anti-Israel Activist

The Democratic National Committee has yet to comment on a statement from its recently elected vice chairman that he would "respond directly, consistently, and with all heart and soul" to any criticism of anti-Israel activist Linda Sarsour.
Michael Blake, a New York state assemblyman who was elected DNC vice chair in February, spoke out in defense of Sarsour amid growing concern about the taxpayer-funded City University of New York's (CUNY) decision to invite her to deliver its commencement speech later this month. Sarsour is a leading voice in the anti-Israel movement and has been accused of anti-Semitism.
"Making it real clear," Blake warned on Twitter. "If you keep coming after @lsarsour, we're going to respond directly, consistently, with all heart and soul. Fall back!"
It is unclear whether Blake's intention was to make a statement of support for Sarsour on behalf of the DNC. Blake and representatives of the DNC did not respond to numerous requests for comment.
Sarsour has emerged as a leading activist for the party in recent months despite applauding violence against the Jewish state. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D., N.Y.) celebrated her as one of the "suffragists of our time" in Time magazine last month.
Not mentioned by Gillibrand was that weeks earlier Sarsour had shared a stage with Rasmea Odeh, a fellow anti-Israel activist and convicted terrorist who is responsible for a bombing in Israel that killed two young students. Sarsour said she was "honored to be on the stage with Rasmea."

Democrat NYC Councilman Defends Anti-Semite Sarsour, Melts Down On Fox and Twitter

On Monday night, the Zionist Organization of America's National President Mort Klein and Democratic New York City Councilman Jumaane Williams went on The Story with Martha Maccallum on Fox News to discuss Palestinian-Arab activist and vicious anti-Semite Linda Sarsour and her upcoming commencement address at City of New York University (CUNY) Graduate School of Public Health. Klein's ZOA released a press statement calling for Governor Andrew Cuomo to cancel Sarsour's speech, saying that she is a "bigot and a divider" and that "disgraces the state and city of New York for a taxpayer-funded university to confer this honor on her."
Klein argued that there is no constitutional right or obligation for the CUNY to invite Sarsour or to keep her as a speaker on Fox. He also said that Sarsour had defended the Second Intifada, which "Palestine" Liberation Organization chairman Yasser Arafat started after rejecting the Camp David Accords between the PLO and Israel in 2000; the intifada killed over a thousand Israelis and thousands more Palestinian-Arabs. Klein believes that her support for radical Islam should disqualify her from having the honor to speak at CUNY.
Williams, who is friend of Sarsour's, stridently defended her, saying that Klein's allegations against her are false. He accused Klein and the Right of "confusing people of taking a political stance against [Israel] and call it anti-Semitism against the religion," saying that her criticisms are not levied against Jews but against the Jewish state and Jewish nationalism. However, when Maccallum brought up instances where Sarsour called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a "waste of a human being" and that "nothing is creepier than Zionism," Williams gave the following justification:
No, she actually retweeted a poem. No one has listened to what the poem says and that was the title of the poem. And so again, a lot of people take things out of context. The alt-right does that very well, so we have to push back on that.
In short, Williams implied that Klein's legitimate criticisms of Sarsour's anti-Semitism displayed an alt-right tactic and that anyone who is slamming Sarsour for her past comments is on the alt-right.

NY Assemblyman to Linda Sarsour: Explain Your 'Support for Terrorism'

New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn) has penned an open letter and accompanied it with a video titled, “Questions for Linda Sarsour from Assemblyman Hikind,” asking the leftist Sharia advocate why she allegedly supports terrorism.
“Your support for terrorism on many different occasions,” Hikind says in the video. “That’s the question that all of us have that we don’t understand. And, maybe, Linda you can respond to everyone so that we understand better.” Sarsour, who was selected to deliver the keynote speech at CUNY’s School of Public Health on June 1, has held controversial positions and associations in the past.
“I invite Linda Sarsour to publicly address these vital points about her past and her agenda,” Hikind says.
Hikind noted that Sarsour stood on a stage with convicted Palestinian terrorist Rasmea Odeh last month and said she was “honored and privileged” to do so. Odeh, a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, was convicted by an Israeli court for her role in the murder of Israeli students Leon Kanner and Eddie Joffe.
Odeh is scheduled for deportation from the United States after she pled guilty to falsifying information on her U.S. immigration papers.
“The actions of Rasmea Odeh who you praise, Linda Sarsour. You need to explain it,” Hikind said.

Jenny Tonge posts cartoon comparing Israel to Nazis

Disgraced former Liberal Democrat peer Jenny Tonge has been criticised for sharing a post online comparing Israel to the Nazis.
The anti-Israel baroness posted a cartoon by an artist called ‘Latuff’ on her Facebook page, which came 2nd in the Iranian Holocaust Cartoon Competition.
The illustration attempts to draw comparisons parallels between Holocaust victims and those caught up in the Gaza war 2009.
It depicts two men, a Jewish concentration camp victim wearing striped uniform and a yellow star, and a Palestinian with ‘Gaza’ on his clothes.
Both are shown caught on barbed wire, bent into a Swastika shapes, with “never again” above the Shoah victim, and “over again” below the Gazan man, implying the Holocaust has been repeated, by Israel.
A spokesperson for the Community Security Trust (CST) told Jewish News: “Baroness Tonge’s use of this image is a despicable insult to the memory of all victims of the Holocaust. She keeps finding new ways of falling further from decency.”

Police search for Berlin attacker who attempted to set ablaze a pro-Israel activist

Berlin police forces are currently searching after a man who attempted to set an Israel flag ablaze on Monday during a Memorial Day event commemorating Israel's fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism. The woman who was holding the flag and very nearly escaped the attack is a German-Israeli pro-Israel activist.
The latter, who wishes not reveal her identity because she wants to continue freely with her pro-Israel activism, contacted the Jerusalem Post on Tuesday and said that she filed a criminal complaint. She asserted that the assailant sought to cause her "dangerous bodily harm."
The alleged assault took place at a German-Israeli friendship youth event on Paris Square in the heart of Berlin. According to the official complaint, the woman carried an Israeli flag on her shoulder and the perpetrator attempted to use a lighter to set the flag on fire. A 22-year-old witness stopped the attack and the assailant fled.
The alleged attack comes on the heels of last week's independent German report commissioned by the Federal government that shows that 40% of Germans hold modern antisemitic views (the loathing of the Jewish state).

J Street Shot Down for Pushing Anti-Israel, Pro-Boycott Exhibit on Campus

The Center for Jewish Life at Princeton University (CJL) is being hailed for its recent decision to decline hosting a photo exhibit viewed as anti-Israel and in favor of boycotting the Jewish state.
The Princeton chapter of J Street U, the campus arm of the left-leaning lobbying organization J Street, attempted this week to force CJL to host an exhibit organized by Breaking the Silence, a non-profit organization that routinely accuses Israeli soldiers of war crimes.
J Street and Breaking the Silence were seeking to use CJL's space to feature a series of photographs that it claims shows Israeli soldiers committing atrocities against Palestinians. The groups aimed to schedule the event over Israel's memorial and independence days, a move that was viewed by pro-Israel leaders as offensive.
CJL, an affiliate of the pro-Israel campus organization Hillel International, rejected J Street's request, eliciting praise from pro-Israel voices on campus who accuse J Street and Breaking the Silence of seeking to foster an unsafe environment for Jews on campus.
Jewish communal officials and leaders in the pro-Israel community told the Washington Free Beacon that CJL should be praised for its decision, which shows that pro-Israel voices on college campuses are willing to take a stand against defamation of the Jewish state.

BDS narrowly defeated at George Washington University

The student senate at George Washington University narrowly rejected a resolution calling on the university to divest from companies that do business with Israel.
The vote by the Student Association Senate late on Monday night was 14 in favor, 15 against, and one abstention, the Washington DC-area university student newspaper The Hatchet reported.
The student senate held three hours of public comment by supporters and opponents of the resolution before the vote, and allowed comment after the vote as well.
The resolution, spearheaded by the campus Students for Justice in Palestine group which formed a coalition with other groups called Divest This Time, called for the university to withdraw investments from 10 companies that supporters charged “provide resources and materials that contribute to Palestinian oppression,” according to the Hatchet.
It is the first time that such a resolution has been proposed at the university.

Texas Gov. “Proud” to Honor Israel’s Independence Day by Signing Anti-Boycott Bill

The governor of Texas said that he was “proud” to honor Israel’s 69th Independence Day on Tuesday by signing a bill that would prevent state agencies from doing business with companies that discriminate against the Jewish state.
Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement that he was “proud to have commemorated Israel’s Independence Day by signing into law Anti-[Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions] legislation.” The law was approved unanimously by the Texas House of Representatives on April 21, and passed the state’s Senate with a 25 to 4 vote last week.
“As Israel’s number one trading partner in the United States, Texas is proud to reaffirm its support for the people of Israel and we will continue to build on our historic partnership. Anti-Israel policies are anti-Texas policies, and we will not tolerate such actions against an important ally. I would like to thank Rep. Phil King and Sen. Brandon Creighton for their work and commitment in authoring this important legislation,” Abbott said.

Leftist groups offer students tips on documenting security forces

A poster in the Student Union at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev advertised an unusual workshop last month called "Influencing is not a bad word!" in which students would learn how to take footage of Israeli security forces at demonstrations and protests.
The poster, written in Arabic with a Hebrew translation, urged potential participants to "come learn how to shoot video footage and what is important in still photos. Get all the important points of unusual photography like arrests to take your struggle forward."
After news of the workshop spread, a researcher from the advocacy group Reservists at the Front contacted the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, one of the left-wing groups sponsoring the workshop, which was also supported by the European Union. Israel Hayom obtained a copy of the ensuing conversation, during which a representative provided the reservist with guidance on how to avoid arrest and how to record and photograph both openly and surreptitiously, all while creating provocations.
The right-wing Zionist youth group Im Tirzu sent university President Professor Rivka Carmi a strongly worded letter, demanding that she resign over "repeated cases of incitement and attacks on security forces from within the university."

Cornell University Israeli Independence Day Celebration Disrupted by Students for Justice in Palestine ‘Die-In’ Stunt

Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) members reportedly lied to Cornell Police — who were providing security — and to program organizers to gain access to the event venue, promising that they would not protest inside. According to the report, some 20 SJP members were then allowed to enter, but, within minutes, began a half-hour long disruption.
SJP’s antics included pulling out a sign reading, “Celebrating 69 years of Genocide,” handing out fliers accusing Israel of being “founded on the expulsion of the indigenous population” and dropping to the floor in the middle of the room in a “die-in.”
Rabbi Ari Weiss, the executive director of Cornell Hillel — an organizer of the event — was quoted in the Cornell Sun report as saying he confronted SJP members about their deception to police and program personnel, but they shrugged it off.
One SJP member told the school paper that “Israel Day” — an apparent reference to Yom Haatzmaut — “ignores a lot of genocidal histories and… the human suffering that is going on in Palestine right now,” while also “appropriat[ing] a lot of Arab culture and clump[ing] it together in one weird category that we think is pretty racist.”
According to the report, Brandon Cohen — student president of Cornell Hillel — lamented that SJP is “more interested in protesting” and “just being antagonistic against us,” rather than participating in a conversation about the “very hot topic” of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

DaphneAnson: A Wolf in Peacemaker's Clothing, eh, ex-Vicar? (plus videos)

Only a few days now to the launch (6 May, at Christ Church, Virginia Water) of Stephen Sizer's so-called Peacemaker Mediators, with himself as head honcho and at least one of the persons featured in this photo as a member of the International Board of Reference (whatever that means in practice!):
In the countdown to the launch of the new venture, our old friend the ex-vicar of Virginia Water, now ensconced in Southampton, has thrilled his faithful by bursting onto social media with this meme.

Pretty words, granted.
But actions are more eloquent than words, and NGO Monitor has the following about Sami Awad, the quotation-provider in question, who is founder and executive director of the Holy Land Trust (HLT).
The HLT, it warns,
Conducts highly politicized tours of Israel and the West Bank promoting the Palestinian narrative and targeting church leaders and the international community, claiming to provide “cross cultural and experimental learning opportunities in both Palestine and Israel.” Suggests that its participants “limit information” given to Israeli airport security and hide the reason for their visits.
HLT runs an annual summer program “Palestine Summer Encounter.” Participants have met with representatives from politicized NGOs like Breaking the Silence, BADIL, and Grassroots Jerusalem.
Sami Awad ... has stated that non-violent demonstrations are “not a substitute for the armed struggle.”

New York Times Touts Hamas ‘Moderation,’ Ignores ‘Truly Disgusting’ Video in Which Group Taunts Bereaved Israeli Parents

“Hamas Tempers Extreme Stances In Bid For Power” is the headline at the top of the front page of the New York Times.
You have to read all the way to the tenth paragraph of the story, inside the paper, to find out, “Experts on all sides of the complex struggle here say the new document is unlikely to represent any profound change in Hamas’s true position toward Israel. The group recently chose a hard-liner, Yehya Sinwar, as its new leader in Gaza, and it has still in no way recognized Israel or renounced violence.”
Well, if it is “unlikely to represent any profound change,” why in the world does it merit a top-of-the-front page headline in the Times?
The Times article goes on, further down:
In Israel, which has fought three wars with Hamas since 2008, the document was greeted with skepticism.
“Not even one mind” will be changed in Israel, said Yossi Kuperwasser, a retired Israeli brigadier general who led the army’s research arm. “Nobody will be affected by this.”
Again, if “nobody will be affected by this,” why is it a top-of-the-front page story?

Media Goes Kumbaya For Hamas

At a news conference held in Qatar, Hamas presented its new manifesto in a clear attempt to make itself more palatable to a Western audience as well as so-called moderate Arab states such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
Writing for CNN, Jonathan Cristol says:
The new document may seem more moderate, but in reality nothing has changed. While the document accepts the 1967 borders as a “national consensus formula,” and you are sure to see breathless praise for this “change,” Hamas still calls for the “full and complete liberation of Palestine, from the river to the sea,” which is poetic code for “the destruction of Israel.”
On Jerusalem it says, “Not one stone of Jerusalem can be surrendered or relinquished.” Hamas still rejects not only the admittedly failed Oslo Accords, but also the recognition of Israel and the renunciation of violence. Indeed it calls “armed resistance” the “strategic choice for protecting the principles and the rights of the Palestinian people.”
The new document allows Hamas to claim moderation and to seek out new allies alienated by the religious struggle depicted in its original charter. But make no mistake: The new charter does not mean that Hamas will make any change in either its strategy, tactics, or its demands.
It has “moderated” its position, but it is not moderate. It must continue to be fought against and to be rejected, just as it rejects the right of Israel to live in peace and security.

BBC Watch secures another correction to a BBC Arabic article

Back in March we noted that a report on the BBC Arabic website included an inaccurate description of nine victims of a Hamas terror attack that took place nearly fifteen years ago.
“In paragraph 15 of that report the victims of the 2002 Meron Junction terror attack are described as “nine Jewish settlers”.
Four of the nine people murdered in the attack were not Jewish. None of them lived in what the BBC would term ‘settlements’.
This is not the first time that BBC Arabic has portrayed Israeli victims of terror attacks to its audiences as “Jewish settlers” regardless of their ethnicity and place of residence. Clearly that description is neither accurate nor impartial.”
BBC Watch submitted a complaint to the BBC on that issue. Having failed to receive a reply during the designated time period, we sent a second complaint. The response received from BBC Complaints reads as follows:

Area Bird’s Poop Too Good For Haaretz At Bottom Of His Cage (satire)

A local cockatiel demanded that his caregiver replace the pages of Haaretz that line the floor of his cage, household sources reported Tuesday, noting that the bird refuses to allow his excretions to come into contact with something as repulsive as that newspaper.
Biff, a two-year-old bird whose presence has graced an apartment along Herzl Street since November, keeps nipping at the fingers of anyone who attempts to use the publication to catch his droppings for eventual disposal, and declared that he would continue to inflict that bodily harm until his sensibilities were complied with. Biff asserted that his guano, as disgusting as the substance may be, nevertheless remains far more acceptable and tasteful a presence than Haaretz.
“Good Lord, get that thing away from me,” chirped the cockatiel. “Have you no sense of decency?”

Pop Star Katy Perry Stirs Controversy by Wearing Gown of Notoriously Antisemitic Fashion Designer at MET Gala

American pop star Katy Perry is taking heat after she wore a gown designed by notorious antisemite John Galliano to the MET Gala in New York City on Monday.
The TMZ gossip website blasted the “Bon Appetit” singer — a co-chair of the event — for donning an “ugly red outfit by [a] Jew-bashing designer” and PopCrush said it was “terribly troubling” that Perry would choose to support someone “known for his extreme antisemitism” by wearing the red Maison Margiela dress.
Galliano was fired from his role as creative director at Christian Dior in 2011 after he went on an antisemitic rant at a Paris bar in which he declared, “I love Hitler,” and told two women their mothers and “forefathers would all be f–king gassed.” A video surfaced not long after showing Galliano making similar comments at the same bar about a year earlier.
The UK’s Independent newspaper said on Facebook that Perry, who is not Jewish, made an “extremely controversial choice” by choosing to wear a garment made by Galliano, and one social media user who disapproved of the look said, “This is terrible just terrible how could she!!!!!!! [Galliano] insulted the mighty Jews I need a cold shower from the shock.”
Others on Twitter called the singer’s gown selection “offensive” and attacked her for not being “classy.”

Bieber’s back in Israel for one night only

Canadian pop singer Justin Bieber was set to perform in Israel Wednesday evening, six years after causing a stir during his last visit to the country.
Some 1,000 security guards and 200 police will be on hand during the one-off concert at Tel Aviv’s Yarkon Park venue, Israel Radio reported.
The one-time teen heartthrob, now a bit older but still selling records, arrived in Israel the night before by private jet and was whisked away to the Dan Hotel in Tel Aviv where dozens of female fans waited in vain for a glimpse of the 23-year-old.
According to Channel 2 television Bieber arrived with a 115-strong entourage that includes 15 bodyguards who will constantly shadow the performer.

‘The best ambassadors of Israel you’ll ever find’

In the coffee, rice and rubber farms of Vietnam’s Central Highlands, 24-year-old Trung Nguyen has seen all too many relatives develop cancer, due to the unfettered use of chemical pesticides. As he nears the end of a 10-month agricultural training program in Israel’s Arava Desert, Nguyen is determined to bring what he has learned back home, to both change this stark reality and modernize farming techniques in the local Buôn Ma Thuôt community.
“We cannot depend on chemical agriculture anymore – it’s not good for our health. We also learn about sustainable agriculture,” he told The Jerusalem Post last week. “We would like to apply this kind of growth back in our country.”
Nguyen is a participant in the diploma program at the Arava International Center for Agriculture Training (AICAT), a learning institute in the central Arava Desert community of Sapir and under the jurisdiction of the Central Arava Regional Council. Established in 1994, AICAT operates with the support of the Foreign Ministry and the Agriculture Ministry, and benefits from funds raised by Jewish National Fund-USA.
Hosting about 1,200 students each year, AICAT has produced more than 16,000 alumni who are determined to adapt the skills they have learned in their communities back home in Africa and Asia, according to Noa Zer, the regional council’s resource development director.

Christian groups launch TV series defending Israel

A partnership of Christians groups have collaborated to create a series called “Why Israel Matters,” which intends to set the record straight on Israel and the Jewish state.
Christians in Defense of Israel (CIDI), Liberty Counsel and the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) produced the 13-part original series that demonstrates the crucial importance of the Jewish state to Christians, to the United States and to the world in general. The first episode, which debuted February 28, can be seen online on TBN.
At the end of each week’s airing, the Christian television network posts the episode on its website. The second episode will air March 7.
“Even though I have lived with this series for over two years and reviewed the rough cut version, I was still moved by the impact of this powerful story about Jews being drawn to Israel from around the world,” Mat Staver, chairman of Christians in Defense of Israel and Liberty Counsel, said.
Filmed in the Holy Land and featuring a multitude of guests, “Why Israel Matters” explores how such a small country plays such an important role in the world.

IsraellyCool: Some Of The Most Fascinating Photos From Israel’s War Of Independence

Yesterday we celebrated Israel’s Independence Day (Yom Ha’atzmaut), which commemorates the Israeli Declaration of Independence on 14th May, 1948 (we celebrate according to the Hebrew date).
While it is a joyous occasion, some may forget that after the British Mandate was officially terminated the very next day and the State of Israel came into being, neighboring Arab states including Egypt, Jordan and Syria, invaded and attacked. And while we prevailed, there was a heavy cost: 6,373 of our people (about 1% of its population at the time) were killed (including around 2,000 Holocaust survivors), and 1,500 Jewish inhabitants were expelled from the Old City of Jerusalem (we returned only after recapturing it in the Six Day War 19 years later).
Here are some of the most remarkable photos taken during this war.

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